There is a long tradition of spinning women around to make a statement: from French photographer Nadar, whose “Hair Study” was the inspiration for photographer Tara Bogart’s series and an inversion of traditional nineteenth-century portraiture, to Carrie Mae Weems’s series of self-portraits in front of famous (and not so famous) monuments. In "The Louvre," her dark silhouette against the Louvre is a commentary on the historic exclusion of black women from gated cultural communities.
Courtesy the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York
Carrie Mae Weems, The Louvre (from "The Museum Series"), 2006–present
In a new exhibit at Catherine Edelman Gallery, "A Modern Hair Study," Bogart explores the balance of anonymity and individuality, presenting unique portraits devoid of the elements that we usually use to distinguish one another.
© Tara Bogart/Images courtesy Catherine Edelman Gallery, Chicago.
Theresa G, 2013
© Tara Bogart/Images courtesy Catherine Edelman Gallery, Chicago.
Sarah, 2012
© Tara Bogart/Images courtesy Catherine Edelman Gallery, Chicago.
Caresse, 2012
© Tara Bogart/Images courtesy Catherine Edelman Gallery, Chicago.
Fanny, 2013
© Tara Bogart/Images courtesy Catherine Edelman Gallery, Chicago.
Georgia, 2012
© Tara Bogart/Images courtesy Catherine Edelman Gallery, Chicago.
Jade, 2012
© Tara Bogart/Images courtesy Catherine Edelman Gallery, Chicago.
Pauline, 2013
© Tara Bogart/Images courtesy Catherine Edelman Gallery, Chicago.
Rachel, 2013
© Tara Bogart/Images courtesy Catherine Edelman Gallery, Chicago.
Nina, 2012
This post has been updated.