On the "Map" Series
I like to explore the tension that develops between the seemingly dispassionate language of photography (in this case enlarged snapshots) and the beaded and sequined elements which allude to the tradition of craft. This tension mirrors an ever widening gap and drama between “technological” or modern communities and those that still function as if in a pre-industrial age. Aside from symbolically “creolizing” the snapshots, the beading offers an opportunity to sustain and resolve a dialogue unfolding between the efficiency of the photographic technique compared to the meditative slowness of the hand-beaded elements. The pieces from the “Map” series are communicative engagements with the physical and psychological scars of several male relatives who have either been tortured or have died prematurely because of aids or assassination. While on the one hand the beading gesture itself underscores the damage done to the body by acts of violence, it also shields from the eyes of the viewer the actual scars, symbolically healing as well as establishing them as markers of our embattled history. Vladimir Cybil Charlier, April 2009
