Carol Golemboski work was very intriguing to me. She received her MFA in Photography from Virginia Commonwealth University and an MA in Art from The University of Wisconsin-Madison. I really enjoyed looking at the work. I did not just want walk by the work I wanted to stare and read the story of what each image had to tell.
Her series that was exhibited in the Rowe Gallery was “Psychometry”. Golemboski’s artist statement explains this series as addressing the psychological issues relating to anxiety, loss and existential doubt. She combines drawing and photography into one. She also itches the negatives and may add photograms to the photograph giving them a mysteries element. Psychometry comes from Pseudo-science, which means object reading. I really like these series of hers because it told a story but it was a hidden story that kept you thinking. I enjoy black and white photography and she pushed the simple element into something so much more.
One of my favorite pieces in the show was an image of a stencil for a shirt or dress. The name of the piece was “Perfect Fit”. With this photograph it appears as if she took a photograph of the hanger and than added the stencil and safety pins as photograms. Also, there are some etchings done in the image. I feel like the layers of the image with multiple techniques gives it a depth. At the end of the stencil you see small duck images and flowers. I feel like with all her pieces she has a little amusing aspect to them. It gives her photographs a childish feeling. In addition the format of the image is a square format. The square format gives it a tighter composition.
Perfect fit can have a lot of different meanings. If you just focus mainly on the title of the work to me it explains how society has an “ideal” form. Every person should all look the same and if you do not fit a certain size you are not “normal”. However, before I knew the title of the work this piece to me meant something lost or forgotten. Stencils are rarely used anymore. It is a forgotten art. Some fashion artists still use it. Also because the stencil looks small it seems like it was a dress for a small child. In addition the playful characters add to that childish concept. Moreover, because the stencil is semitransparent it feels like it was there but no longer is. In some ways it feels like a faded memory.
The reason that this piece of work is more than just black and white photographs is because of the different mediums used. I feel like the etching and photograms add depth to the photographs. Without all the layering of mediums I feel like the photographs would not tell a story.
Carol Golemboski work was very inspiring to me. I really loved her work. I feel like to really appreciate her work you have to see it in person. I looked at her work in the gallery. Later on I look at more of her work online. Her Psychometry work online did not have the same aesthetic value as it did when you viewed it in person. I believe it is because of all the layers and textures that are lost with the digital photography.
