Crushed/Optimistic: Photography, Poetry, & Brandon Forrest Frederick
Brandon Forrest Frederick is an artist / organizer / educator / person that I happen to know
very well. We have worked side by side for four years as members of Archive Collective, and
both pursued our photographic educations in the same institution (four years apart). This
shared experience means that neither of us can navigate Brandon’s work without first
considering its relationship to the functions, the implicit qualities, and often, the inadequacies
of photographs. Seeing these things as a driving force, rather than a limitation, enables
Brandon to meet the viewer between playfulness and subversion in an exhibition like
Sensible Disobedience.
The following writing was made in response to Brandon’s practice and efforts to explore new
modes for working through his ideas, as well as my own desire to bring this level of intuition
and experimentation to art writing.
Image of Brandon Forrest Frederick’s work courtesy of the artist
Photographs like
an aphorism
a truth
of everyday objects
that we all know
aim to
seem
legible
transparent
but not without
a certain poetry
in reflection
that comes from empathy
not declarative
or assertive
but a clear question
of ‘the everyday’
that feels elevating.
Faith placed
in observation
to share
to take with you
and consider
in daily interaction
a ‘something out of nothing’
like that cliché
of vernacular photographs.
Beauty in and of the everyday.
Transforming like
through the lens
patterns
conditioned
decisions made
for photography
between us
the photograph
and the outside world.
Process like
an overly complicated means to an end
calling attention to what confounds
(see Rube Goldberg)
presented clearly
generously
posits
that perhaps art can be simple
but our ideas
and truths
are more often
somewhere in the mess.
Humor like
Science Fiction
a good way to talk about tough things
and tough times
with the ability
to stay light.
A rigid object
crushed
a signifier of culture
shared alien
collapsed space
stuffed soft
crumpled again
our combined laughters
are first ones of
Michelob Ultra
of consumption
and second of
extravagant photographic failures
and wit.
A flaccid pillow
a more obvious joke
not dumb
just
generous
evolving from
photographs
avoids only partially
some underlying sadness
of the still image.
New work
sewn
cut
lit from within
with the same punchline
louder
a new gift
an archeological dig
through American habits
not the American spaces
we learned about
in Photo History.
Teaching and making
as learning
a new education
and new ideas
or shared ideas
and new vehicles.
Growth
guided by the process
not by what we already know.
SENSIBLE DISOBEDIENCE: DISRUPTING CULTURAL SIGNIFIERS IN A NEOLIBERAL
AGE was curated by Lynnette Miranda -Charlotte Street’s Curator-in-Residence- and is up
through April 22nd 2017 at La Esquina (1000 W. 25TH STREET KC, MO 64108)