Art on My Mind, Bell Hooks - Isabelle Legaspi

QUOTE 1: BH: So much photography doesn't lead people to think deeply about the work, to interrogate it. And the value of most prominent white photographers is not determined by audience response to their work. Yet folks will tell me, "Well, I'm troubled by Carrie Mae Weems's work, because it doesn't work with the audience." The assumption is that there is one correct response, rather than multiple responses.

Carrie Mae Weems is saying that art doesn’t just come out of nowhere. It’s influenced by the artist’s personal beliefs and life experiences. She doesn’t try to create simple answers or one clear message. Instead, she’s always asking questions like: What should this look like? Who is it meant for? Who might it challenge? For her, photography is a powerful way to show complicated stories, especially about things like race, gender, and identity. Her art isn’t always easy to understand on the surface, it makes both the artist and the viewer think more deeply.

QUOTE 2:

CMW: Right, it's linked to a whole belief system. You know, we have to make art work for us within the context of our own individual belief systems. I've often thought about this. How do you do this with photography? How do you describe complex experiences in a photograph? What are the sights of it? What should it have to look like? What does it have to challenge? To whom is it challenging? You know, who's it for? All those kinds of questions are constantly shifting for me.

Carrie Mae Weems understands that art isn’t made in isolation and that it’s shaped by what the artist believes, goes through, and wonders about. Instead of trying to make simple, one-size-fits-all messages, she accepts that creating art can be messy and full of questions. She uses photography to show complicated experiences, especially those connected to race, gender, and identity. Her work is supposed to make both the artist and the viewer think more deeply and look closer.