Container #5, 2020, Archival pigment print, 40 x 60 in
In Container #5, the palm leaf, “jungly”pattern harmonizes with the foliage in the background. As with the rest of the Container (photo) series, I'm interested in photographing these in environments that seem or could pass for "natural" but are really constructed or intervened by humans, further emphasizing the relation between the constructedness of these environments and the construct of the poses and patterns these women inhabit. This image was taken in one of the least manicured areas of the Botanical Garden of Santo Domingo, evoking a wilder setting, although you can still the concrete floor where the subject is standing coming through the leaves. The light in the photo, natural sunlight that seems like controlled studio lights, dramatically emphasizes the contrast of construction and nature. With hands sewn to the thighs, this bodysuit forces the wearer to be in this awkward position, kind of standing, but not fully (this pose, like that of the other Containers, comes from repeated poses found in a Google search for “Dominican women”). And yet the subject looks down upon us, a gaze that is emphasized further in the gallery installation by hanging the photo higher than the rest of the works.
In Container #5, the palm leaf, “jungly”pattern harmonizes with the foliage in the background. As with the rest of the Container (photo) series, I'm interested in photographing these in environments that seem or could pass for "natural" but are really constructed or intervened by humans, further emphasizing the relation between the constructedness of these environments and the construct of the poses and patterns these women inhabit. This image was taken in one of the least manicured areas of the Botanical Garden of Santo Domingo, evoking a wilder setting, although you can still the concrete floor where the subject is standing coming through the leaves. The light in the photo, natural sunlight that seems like controlled studio lights, dramatically emphasizes the contrast of construction and nature. With hands sewn to the thighs, this bodysuit forces the wearer to be in this awkward position, kind of standing, but not fully (this pose, like that of the other Containers, comes from repeated poses found in a Google search for “Dominican women”). And yet the subject looks down upon us, a gaze that is emphasized further in the gallery installation by hanging the photo higher than the rest of the works.