In the 1990s, the art world was embroiled in a heated debate over photography’s legitimacy as a fine art form. The reproducibility of photographs sparked concerns about originality and authenticity, fundamental concepts in the fine art world. The advent of digital photography further fueled the debate, introducing new possibilities for manipulation and mass production.
During my time at the Academy, many professors dismissed photography as an inferior medium. However, after discovering Robert Mapplethorpe’s work, possibly in Philadelphia, I began to challenge this narrow viewpoint. The controversy surrounding the closure of his Corcoran Gallery exhibition and subsequent funding cuts to the National Endowment for the Arts left a lasting impression on me.
While I can’t say for certain whether my growing commitment to photography was a direct rebellion against these views, it was during this period that I solidified my conviction in photography’s validity and superiority as an art form.
On a more practical note, working with toxic materials like solvents, bitumen, and tar in my DUMBO loft had become unsustainable, even with protective gear. The overwhelming fumes forced me to reconsider my medium.
