Self - Portrait Challenge

self analysis

special self-portrait challenge

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Editorial Team Batsceba Hardy - chief editor Robert Bannister Michael Kennedy Fabio Balestra

Contributions Robert Bannister Batsceba Hardy Michael Kennedy Fabio Balestra

Cover Alpay Beler

Back Cover Robert Bannister

Design Batsceba Hardy Massimo Giacci

The photographies on this magazine are realized by capturing moments of daily life in public places and have been realized without a lucrative purpose with exclusively cultural and artistic intent.

All articles and illustrations contained in the magazine are subjected to copyright.

Any form of utilization beyond the narrow limits imposed by the law of copyright and without the express permission of the publisher is forbidden and will be prosecuted.

This applies particularly to reproduction, microfilming or the storage and processing in electronic system.

Enquiries or material for publication are welcome.

We assume no responsibility for unsolicited materials.

- Adult Content Š 2019

Self-Portrait Challenge Robert Bannister With this project, we looked for street images where the photographer was a part of the story. We wanted photographers to produce a piece of art in which they appeared. This was the challenge.

We did not want images reflected in unlikely places, serving as artistic shadows. We wanted photographers in the story they were telling.

Dodge, duck, dip, dive dodge!

These are the five rules of Dodge Ball, yet could easily be applied to the logistics of street photography when avoiding Selfie Kings and Queens.

Over the past 15-years, visual technology has advanced so remarkably in compact cameras - and especially smart phones, that this has given license to every

narcissist to pose, strut and reveal annoying and embarrassing things about their lives of selfish splendour. Without going into the complexities of the need for self-promotion which - let’s face it, we all do to differing degrees, this challenge was not about narcissism, but about the creativity of revealing oneself in our art.

Robert Bannister

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Self Analysis

The self-portrait has been used to great effect by generations of street photographers to reveal and immortalise themselves into their work.

It is like the image of the author we find in the preface of a beautiful book. After reading the story, we are often drawn to looking into the soul of the creator.

By viewing these reflections, we often see the apparition of the Shutterbug. Sometimes by accident, bu t often carefully coordinated to be a part of the story. This was our challenge.

British film director Alfred Hitchcock made brief walk-on appearances in all his films - known as a cameo. American film director Martin Scorsese has done likewise in his career, as homage to Hitchcock.

Peter Benchley made an appearance in the movie Jaws as a roving reporter. Boris Karloff appeared in the sha dow s of some of his horror films. The classic photographers have been no different in wanting to have a fleeting part in their visual narratives.

I have gone on record as saying that I would be lost for days in a physical gallery, looking at the images that were submitted by Progressive-Street members.

Normally in a challenge, we look for a winner, yet in this particular case, the only true victor was the

group. The creativity and craftsmanship, to immerse the photographer into an already outstanding image, was astounding.

You are hit by a picture of quality, and then you look for the master among the layers, often finding yourself … so deep in depth, at times you feel a need to leave a trail behind, to find your way back out of the image again.

There is no doubt that the extra interest added to an already elaborate story, leaves the peruser exhausted, but pleasantly satisfied at looking into the eye of the artist. Techniques, equipment and methods are often unveiled too, giving us more confidence in what we do.

This challenge more than any other, has been about finding ourselves, and has been a resounding success.

Reflections, shadows, mirrors, glasses and wheels have all been used to great effect. The accompanying images are what we felt were the best and most diverse.

Please immerse yourself in the imagination of others, look for the creator and find yourself.

I leave you with this thought by French Enlightenment writer Voltaire: “The mirror is a worthless invention.

The only way to truly see yourself is in the reflection of someone else's eyes.”

Robert Bannister

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Self Analysis

Robert Bannister Jens F. Kruse

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Self Analysis

Boy Jeconiah Alfrem Edvie Bautista

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Self Analysis

Dzung Viet Le Niklas Lindskog

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Self Analysis

Liviu Ionita

Richard Keshen

Cheryl Atkins

Tony Jackson John Linton

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Self Analysis

Jens F. Kruse John Linton

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Michael Kennedy Romeo Doneza

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Gianni Boradori

JuĚˆrgen Warschun Shlomy Evron

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Elizabeth Char Zohar Ferro

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Let Us Now Praise Self-Portraits Batsceba Hardy In October of 1839, the 30-year-old Robert Cornelius mounted his camera in the back of the store in Center City, Philadelphia family lamps. When all was ready, took off his cap and barges in front of the goal, where he remained sitting, motionless, for about a minute, producing what is considered the first photographic portrait in history.

The first camera all mine was an Asahi Pentax. My mother gave it to me as a 14-year-old in 1965.

I think one of the first shots was my self-portrait in the mirror of my parents’ room. I had a blue sweater, I still remember it.

Then I started my photographic story, photographing the details, the shadows ... the first enlarger was round and, obviously, I also did my first rayograph.

I never loved to do portraits, I always preferred the candid, photographing people in their normalcy, stealing expressions and moments of people, even of friends.

And I continued to make a series of self-portraits, which were not self-portraits, but true stories: I prepared all the staging and with a remote control I photographed myself, sometimes made up, sometimes not, often naked.

And then I worked on the photos creating collages. In this regard, speaking of disguise I reminiscent of the pictures by Cindy Sherman.

In those days there was no talk of narcissism, it was not the evil of my age. And neither was there much talk of self and self-seeking.

Photographing self for a photographer above all meant experimenting, testing the lights, the technique.

And sometimes it was possible to tell, to bare one’s

Batsceba Hardy

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Self Analysis

Batsceba Hardy Batsceba Hardy

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Self Analysis

own soul, to study, to express oneself: I think of the images of Francesca Woodman and the self-portrait of Nan Goldin, with the black eye.

I photographed myself with a cream on my face, shiny with my hair pulled, trying to strip my worst image, but it turned out to be an image that instead - according to a critic who participated in the performance in which I used - reflected a disruptive personality and was interpreted as a kind of exaltation of beauty ... in short, as a 'narcissistic' image.

It was 1978. The performance was called "Punto di vista del gioco" and took place in my apartment, on invitations, and I had left only traces of my life, of my dreams, and me and I appeared only at the end like a red Marilynn Monroe, waving from the balcony.

It is always the risk of those who want to express themselves, incurring the accusation of narcissism.

Often the relentlessness in the use of one’s own image shows only the fragility of the artist and his/her difficulty in inserting himself/herself into the external reality. In a word, it is “uncomfortable”. It is the market that then

engulfs you and uses you, distorting the starting point.

The suicide of American photographer Francesca Woodman (1958-1981) is emblematic.

Because every ‘artist’ - and about an artist, I mean someone who has the desire to express something through his/her instruments - always expresses himself/herself.

A painter who has never made a self-portrait is unlikely, so a photographer. And the writers always talk about themselves, hiding and shattering into a thousand characters.

Ancient art handed self-portraits of painters like Raphael, Leonardo, Signorelli, Beato Angelico, and some are on the scene in the midst of their paintings.

With Rembrandt the story is lived, as if there were already “zoom”, on the face of the artist, the painter does not hesitate to shrink back nice and then aged, bitter despite the success.

Contemporary art, influenced by photography and cinema, (I am thinking of the violent self portraits of Lucian Freud and David Hockney's self-portrait with

Batsceba Hardy

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Self Analysis

Red Suspenders) removes all veils and shows, ironically, as the mirror: the story, the time we now ourselves.

Renato Guttuso smoking furiously and Salvador Dali with the palette of a Renaissance Seraphic, become witnesses for more than just be them.

Figurative narcissism is different from conceit or disease neurotic. Involves an inner need. We must always be careful not to transform it, as it is happening in today’s consumerism, in an “athletic� proposal, to seem instead to be.

In the self-portrait, the artist shows himself as he wants to be seen, revealing something profoundly personal, illustrating somhing that he/she is unable to explain in words.

For example, I think of the beautiful self-portraits of American photographer Diane Arbus (1923-1971) with her daughter, Doon, in her arms.

This is that same daughter who displayed so much love for the mother with all her posthumous publications and exhibitions.

And speaking of street photographers I cannot but recall the self-portrait of Daido Moriyama: Self-Portrait with Dogs, 1997 Since 2000 everything has changed: the selfportrait has disappeared, and the selfie has taken its place; something horrible that only exalts the appearance, without any depth.

Yet a self-portrait is not a selfie. It is a splendid photograph, which reveals something of its author.

A good self-portrait is extremely difficult to achieve.

And all these street photographers really showed something of themselves, in this challenge that we launched, showing themselves above all coherent.

Batsceba Hardy

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Self Analysis

Marco DM Stefania Lazzari

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Self Analysis

Andrea Ratto IneĚ s Madrazo Delgado

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Alphan Yilmazmaden Edita Sabalionyte

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Self Analysis

Gerri McLaughlin Hila Rubinshtein

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Self Analysis

Bogo PecĚŒnikar Niklas Lindskog

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Self Analysis

Edita Sabalionyte Richard Keshen

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Self Analysis

Tony Keyworth Bertil Nilsson

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Self Analysis

Harry Aaldering Victor Borst

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Self Analysis

Tejal Mewar Roberto Bon

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Self Analysis

Batsceba Hardy Robert Bannister

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Self Analysis

Manish Sharma Fabio Balestra

Pacho Coulchinsky

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Self Analysis

Angel Rodriguez

Husni Munir

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Self Analysis

Royeth Garrido Gianni Boradori

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Self Analysis

Joel Domingo

Chan Chun Ming Elpi Juan

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Self Analysis

Jim Darke Michela Pugno

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Self Analysis

Kevin Lim Evan Grabador

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Patrick Merino Tejal Mewar

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Robert Bannister Stephen Tyler

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Robert Adams Eduardo Storch

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Kevin Lim

Jean Lefranc

Mariana MaodusĚŒ

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Roberto Bartolini Rainer Neumann

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Karolina Vugrinec Lior Faust

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Self Analysis

Kyi Tha Fabio Balestra

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Progressive Gang: Batsceba Hardy, Michael Kennedy, Robert Bannister, Fabio Balestra, Abrar Asad, Alexander Merc, Alphan ˇ Yilmazmaden, Anat Shushan, Bogo Pecnikar, Boy Jeconiah, Don Scott, Don Trammell, Edita Sabalionyte, Gerri McLaughlin, Harrie Miller, Hila Rubinshtein, InÊs Madrazo Delgado, Jinn Jyh Leow, Karlo Flores, Kevin Lim, Lukasz Palka, Marco DM, Marion Junkersdorf, Mark Guider, Niklas Lindskog, Orlando Durazzo, Peppe Di Donato, Roberto Di Patrizi, Siddhartha Mukherjee, Stefania Lazzari