Framing Identity: Photographic Representations of Modern Non-Western Artists

Throughout the twentieth century, photography played a pivotal role in showcasing artists as embodiments of the avant-garde. Iconic images, such as Nina Leen’s photograph of The Irascibles (1950) and Martha Holmes’ portrait of Jackson Pollock (1949), nurtured the notion of the Western artist as the pinnacle of modernity, playing an active role in the construction of artistic personas as symbols of their epoch. This panel seeks contributions on the role of photography and mass media in representing non-Western artists as integral members of global modernity. The aim is to explore examples outside the USA and Europe, where artists utilized photographic portraits to counter and/or conform to the otherizing perspectives of hegemonic art histories. By depicting artists, alone or collectively, in dynamic and often unconventional settings, these photographs validated their identities as modern artists, emphasizing their individuality and the materiality of their work.

We invite contributions that analyze topics such as:

• Photographs of non-Western artists in journals and magazines, and their participation in introducing new artists to local and international scenes.
• The representation of BIPOC artists as validation of and/or challenge to institutional spaces.
• The role of photographic representation in the contestation of gender-based categories by non-male artists
• Representations capturing the negotiations and challenges of non-Western artists in resisting their otherization in hegemonic spaces.
• The portrayal of collectives and associations of artists.
• Representations capturing the tensions faced by local artists in adopting international languages such as abstraction, assemblage, and pop art, as well as their interaction with local identities.