MOMA

The morning bride – by Aida Muluneh

Aida Mulueh is an Ethiopian documentary photographer, In one of her series “ the world is 9” she created 28 pieces of work revolving around an expression “ The world is 9, it is never complete and its never perfect” Each of Aida Muluneh’s image is an exploration of questions about life, love, and history. One of my favorite photograph of her’s – “ The Morning Bride” resonated and captured my attention the most. Her color usage and composition in this photo emphasis her theme. First of all, the title “ The Morning Bride” resembles perfection. The white veil covering her blue face is soon to be uncovered, meaning she’s soon to be married. The bride’s blue face resembles sadness and weakness. Contrasting with the red and black background, representing power and oppression. I believe the background represents society. Society’s expectation on us to be perfect, putting a white vail on us, covering our faces, hiding our emotions. The composition of the bride, her body facing off to the side gives me a feeling of force. It’s shown as if her body’s forced to face the side with her hands on her lap, but her face looking towards us, with weakness in her eyes seeking for help. Often times in society, there’s this invisible definition of perfection on women. To be innocent, to be pure and best off to be a virgin. As clean as a white sheet of paper, I’m considered as contaminated. Therefore I resonate with the bride, the bride being covered with the white vail, seeking for acceptance.

Decide who you are – Adrian Piper

Adrian piper is an American conceptual artist, in this piece, “ Decide who you are” He created an image- text college printed on paper with silkscreened texts. The subject of this piece is a childhood snapshot of Anita Hill. An American attorney and university professor of social policy, law and women studies. The college is painted with red text. Get of thoughts inside one’s mind. Struggling with self- blame, self-jarred and anger. Adrian’s choice of red colored text brings out the theme of chaos and violence inside one’s mind. The placement of Anita Hill, being in the centre of the college, looking up with text going over her face gives us a sense of uncontrollable, as if the thoughts were a jail cell where she cant escape. However, the smiling face of young Anita Hill resembles Irony. With her head tilting up looking hopeful towards the future, she’s but only looking at a wall, a wall full of thoughts without conclusion.

My Birth – Carmen Winant

Carmen Winant is an American writer and a visual artist. During the exhibition, she showcased one of her art piece – My Birth. My Birth consists of 2000 photographs. Photographs from books, pamphlets, and magazines of women giving birth. Carmen collects these images, by putting them all together, she attempts to create this bodily experience, asserting us views, not to have a single way of reading a narrative into the project. Walking through the hallway with the 2000 photographs by my side, I was overwhelmed. Immediately, it reminded me of the bestiality inside us. How we’re no different than animals. Questioning my sense of being and existence over and over again. 2000 photographs big and small, all over each corner of the wall, I was disturbed. Disturbed by the unfamiliar nature but also disturbed by how distant I felt. I believe just like wedding photography, images of giving birth could be seen as glamorous as well. Is our human nature, why don’t we embrace it.

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