Exhibition dates: 16th – 19th November, 2023

Kriss Munsya (Belgium born Democratic Republic of Congo)
Dark Paradise
2022
From the series Genetic Bomb
© Kriss Munsya

It’s all in a label…

Some quotations on beauty which you may find illuminating:

“Beauty changes quickly, much as the landscape constantly changes with the position of the sun.”

Auguste Rodin

“It is certainly not true that there is in the mind of many any universal standard of beauty with respect to the human body.”

Charles Darwin, “The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex,” in Great Books of the Western World: 49, Darwin, Encyclopedia Britannica, Chicago, 1952 quoted in Elaine Hatfield and Susan Sprecher, Mirror, Mirror: The Importance of Looks in Everyday Life, State University of New York Press, Albany, 1986, p. 4.

“Beauty is not instantly and instinctively recognisable: we must be trained from childhood to make those discriminations. Nor can we assume an objective and quantifiable standard of beauty against which everyone could be judged with equal fairness …”

“Beauty becomes, like money, externalised, a possession, one that, like money, can be lost. But it is different from money, for it must be lost, sooner of later.”

Robin Lakoff and Raquel Scherr, Face Value: The Politics of Beauty, Routledge and Kegan Paul, Boston, 1984, p. 30, p. 34.

“‘Photogeneity’ is the camera’s contribution to the language of beauty. Suddenly, beauty begins to be judged in new terms… Photographic reproduction helped to make beauty big business… The success of photographically reproduced beauty depended primarily on its popular consumption. Beauty became a collective experience. And consumerism and the camera became bedfellows.

Magazines and movies felt the immediate benefits of photographic reproduction. Audiences were captivated by what they saw… Suddenly, places, objects, people, situations that had once seemed inaccessible became familiar. But at the core remained a paradox which would with time become troublesome. Photographic reproduction seemed to make things familiar, yet they remained remote. It promised intimacy, yet kept the images themselves untouchable, impersonal. In short, it offered the impossible under the guise of the possible. And so it was with beauty which, now turned professional found these media as its new arena, the place where it could best advertise itself.”

Robin Lakoff and Raquel Scherr, Face Value: The Politics of Beauty, Routledge and Kegan Paul, Boston, 1984, pp. 74-75.

“It is not so much that we have to develop a ‘new style’ of beauty … We have to transcend, in the first place, dependence on ‘style’: for as long as we worry about the current fashion in beauty, not only must we worry about ourselves as individuals and how well we fare, individual to individual; but we also become dependent upon the whims of tastemakers beyond our acquaintance, forces we cannot see or touch, and that help to create our confusion…”

Robin Lakoff and Raquel Scherr, Face Value: The Politics of Beauty, Routledge and Kegan Paul, Boston, 1984, p. 283.

“Ideal beauty is ideal because it does not exist; the action lies in the gap between desire and gratification… The beauty myth moves for men as a mirage; its power lies in its ever-receding nature. When the gap is closed, the lover embraces his own disillusion. The myth actually undermines sexual attraction. Attraction is a dialogue… that depends on the unique qualities, memories, patterns of desire, of the two people involved; “beauty” is generic. Attraction is about a sexual fit: two people imagining how they will work together.

“Beauty” is only a visual, more real on film or in stone than in three living dimensions. The visual is the sense monopolised by the advertisers, who can manipulate it much better than mere human beings. But with other senses, advertising is at a disadvantage: Humans can smell, taste, touch, and sound far better than in an advertisement. So humans, in order to become dependable, sexually insecure consumers, had to be trained away from these other, more sensual senses. One needs distance, even in the bedroom, to get a really good look … “Beauty” leaves out smell, physical response, sounds, rhythm, chemistry, texture, fit, in favour of a portrait on the pillow.

The shape and weight and texture and feel of bodies is crucial to pleasure but the appealing body will not be identical… The world of attraction grows blander and colder as everyone, first women and soon men, begin to look alike. People loose one another as more masks are assumed.”

Wolf, Naomi. The Beauty Myth. London: Vintage, 1991, pp. 176-177.

Dr Marcus Bunyan

Many thankx to PhotoVogue Festival for allowing me to publish the photographs in the posting. Please click on the photographs for a larger version of the image.

Enrique Leyva (Mexican, b. 1996)
Madre e hijo (Mother and son)
Nd
© Enrique Leyva

The PhotoVogue Festival, the first conscious fashion photography festival that focuses on the common ground between ethics and aesthetics, returns for its eighth edition. From November 16 to 19, 2023, BASE Milano will host a series of exhibitions and a three-day symposium examining the profound impact of artificial intelligence (A.I.) on human existence and the creation of images, complemented by satellite events at the city’s finest galleries. Embracing the digital era, the festival also offers online portfolio reviews and panel discussions on the PhotoVogue platform and it will give the opportunity to students from CondéFuture – a program led by Condé Nast community talent that targets high school students from underrepresented communities – to showcase some of their photography and video pieces. Last year’s edition was a great success: about 10 thousand people visited the exhibitions and attended the talks.

At the core of the new edition will be a three-day symposium, featuring a distinguished lineup of experts and thought leaders at the forefront of the A.I. revolution. This symposium aims to comprehensively address all aspects of AI around the creation of images, delving into the legal implications, copyright issues, biases, and the potential threat to the documentary value of photography. Moreover, discussions will extend to exploring how governments should act, gaining insights from big tech’s perspectives, and examining practices in place to mitigate potential threats.

Beyond the technicalities, the symposium will also embark on profound philosophical inquiries about what makes us human. It will explore the marvels of creativity that arise when art is liberated from the constraints of the real. This intellectually enriching journey promises to unveil the complexities and possibilities that AI presents to the world of visual representation, prompting us to reflect on the future of human creativity and expression.

PhotoVogue Festival is a project directed by Alessia Glaviano (Head of Global PhotoVogue) and co-curated by Francesca Marani (Senior Photo Editor, Vogue Italia) Chiara Bardelli Nonino (Editor, Writer and Curator), Daniel Rodríguez Gordillo (Content Operations & Strategy Manager, Condé Nast) and Caterina De Biasio (Visual Editor, PhotoVogue)

Since its inception, the PhotoVogue Festival has been dedicated to exploring ethically and aesthetically crucial themes, ranging from the female gaze to inclusivity and masculinity. Building on last year’s exploration of how the ubiquity of images influences our understanding of experiences and reactions to events, the upcoming PhotoVogue Festival in Milan will take a deep dive into the profound impact of artificial intelligence (A.I.) on human existence and the creation of images.

“Our intention is to address the ethical, aesthetic, and political implications raised by this revolutionary technology. Together, we will explore A.I.’s potential for reshaping our understanding of creativity, human existence, and the very essence of how we communicate and convey our visions to the world” ~ Alessia Glaviano, Head of Global PhotoVogue and Director of PhotoVogue Festival

Exhibitions

What Is Beauty

Throughout its past Open Calls, PhotoVogue festival has celebrated the female gaze, searched for the next great fashion image makers, highlighted diversity behind and in front of the camera, explored masculinity, reframed history, and consistently challenged stereotypes, clichés, and homogeneous representations. Continuing its journey dedicated to shaping a more just and inclusive society through visual literacy, PhotoVogue invited artists from around the world to submit work that challenges the traditional notions of beauty.

As cultural shifts unfold across the globe, so must the very idea of beauty evolve. We break free from the constraints of gender, perfection, and homogeneity, recognising that beauty cannot be confined to pass-fail tests based on antiquated norms. Instead, it becomes a boundless and ever-evolving concept, liberated from the tired stereotypes that once dominated our cultural landscape. Never before has artistic expression been more diversified, and representation more far-reaching.

The exhibition on display at BASE features work by 40 artists from 24 countries, selected by a jury comprising Condé Nast staff from across the globe and experts from the international visual community.

Togo Yeye
Simélan (Fish from the water)
2023
© Togo Yeye

Togo Yeye is a conceptual publication by two friends – London-based photographer and Nataal art director Delali Ayivi and Lomé-based fashion activist Malaika Nabillah. Created for Ayivi’s graduate project at London College of Fashion, she and Nabillah set out to champion Togo’s young fashion creatives, contribute to debates around defining an authentic contemporary identity for the country and dream of its fantastic future.

Amy Woodward (Australian)
Eb, 25 weeks pregnant, post mastectomy
Nd
© Amy Woodward

Eb proudly shows her post-mastectomy flat closure. She chooses not to wear a prosthesis in everyday life because she feels no less of a woman without breasts. She is proud to model this for her 16-year-old daughter. Eb was told that she and her husband would not be able to conceive without IVF, but much to their surprise, she became pregnant in 2021 with her son, Arlo.

Chiron Duong (Vietnamese, b. 1996)
If I were a mangrove tree, I will rebirth on the sweet land
Nd
© Chiron Duong

Mauricio Holc (Argentinian)
“Alex” from the project Ser Libre (Be Free)
Nd
© Mauricio Holc

Kate Biel (American)
Jessica and a Dollhouse
2021
© Kate Biel

Luisa Dörr (Brazilian, b. 1988)
Brenda and Lucia
Nd
© Luisa Dörr

Joselin Brenda Mamani tinta (27) and Lucia Rosmeri tinta Quispe (46) from the series Imilla.

Brenda and her mother are considered Pollera women from a different ethny called Aymara from La Paz. Brenda started skateboarding 6 years ago and felt that this activity could give her direction, something to learn that would stimulate her to drop her fears and get out of her comfort zone. She says – “It makes me feel capable because I can break my own limits and I can dare to do things that I have never thought about, and like this I can get over my daily fear.

For her skateboarding in Pollera outfits means a challenge by itself because it is very hard to skateboard wearing a voluminous skirt but she knows that perseverance and practice will help and she has been improving her skills. For her this activity represents her roots, the place she comes from and who she is.

Silvana Trevale (Venezuelan)
Las Reinas (The Queens)
Nd
© Silvana Trevale

Josly, Abril and Elie portray today’s Miss Venezuela beauty pageants on a road in the city of Caracas.

Sarfo Emmanuel Annor (Ghana)
Serenity
Nd
© Sarfo Emmanuel Annor

The Ghanaian artist explores beauty, fashion and daily life in the African country. He focuses on the dynamic youth and their role in shaping the continent’s future. Through his energetic portraits, Annor challenges conventional beauty standards and emphasises the connections that unite the nation beyond ethnicity and religion. His art captures the essence of Africa’s cultural awakening and showcases the beauty that arises from Ghana’s unique cultural heritage.

Yongbin Park (Korean)
When was your first kiss?
Nd
From the series Girls
© Yongbin Park

Avion Pearce (American, b. 1990)
Capri and Astro
Nd
From the series In the Hours between Dawn
© Avion Pearce

Leslie Fratkin (American, b. 1960)
Woman Wearing Big White Wig, New York
Nd
© Leslie Fratkin

‘I encountered this woman, who had the most mesmerising eyes I’d ever seen and a massive, tousled white wig. I asked if I could take her photograph. She hesitated, but eventually, in a barely audible voice, granted permission. I snapped a few shots, noticing a man parked nearby in a car, exuding irritation. After a couple of minutes, he walked up to the camera and declared: “Enough.” Instantly, she averted her gaze. She entered the man’s car and they swiftly departed. I doubt she comprehends the extent of her own beauty’

Leslie Fratkin

Jess T Dugan (American, b. 1986)
Self-portrait (reaching)
Nd
© Jess T Dugan

What Is Beauty / A.I.

Featuring 13 artists whose A.I.-generated image submissions earned widespread acclaim from the jury, this exhibition delves into the festival’s overarching theme, “What Makes Us Human? Image in the Age of A.I.” While distinct from traditional photography, these artworks highlight the profound intersection of technology and human creativity, inviting profound contemplation of the boundless possibilities of A.I. in reshaping the artistic landscape and its impact on human expression in the digital era.

Rozemarlin Borkent (Dutch, b. 1987)
“Ada and Amara” from the project ‘I am that I am’
Nd
(Image generated by AI)
© Rozemarlin Borkent

Xinxu Chen (Chinese, b. 1992)
“Heterochromia” from the project ‘What is beauty?’
Nd
(Image generated by AI)
© Xinxu Chen

Uncanny Atlas: Image In The Age Of A.I.

Curated by Chiara Bardelli Nonino

Photography has long been the lingua franca of our transitional epoch: an era where daily life is exponentially shifting into a virtual dimension, where relationships are consumed online, being beautiful means being photogenic, the proliferation of fake news render any collective discourse precarious and what we once called nature is reduced, at best, to content. The radical ambiguity of the photographic medium, which on the one hand promises adherence to the subject and on the other allows artifice and manipulation, seemed the perfect language to narrate a fluid world in which we moved like tightrope walkers, balancing between the digital and the real.

This exhibition aims to be a principle of cartography of this new world. And it does so through an investigation of how A.I. is changing, along with image production, our idea of photography, and inevitably also that of reality. Above all, the exhibition is an invitation to confrontation, at the intersection of many possible readings of a still largely empty map, where around the small known world there are still large, obscure areas, yet to be explored.

Michael Christopher Brown (American, b. 1978)
“#266 Stranded” from the project ’90 Miles’
Nd
(Image generated by AI)
© Michael Christopher Brown

BASE Milano
Via Bergognone, 34, 20144
Milano MI, Italy

Opening hours:
November 16: 3 – 9pm
November 17-19: 11am – 9pm

PhotoVogue Festival website

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Author: Dr Marcus Bunyan

Australian artist, curator and writer. Doctor of Philosophy (RMIT University), Melbourne. Master of Art Curatorship (University of Melbourne), Melbourne. Master of Arts (RMIT University), Melbourne. BA (Hons) (RMIT University), Melbourne. A.R.C.M. (Associate of the Royal College of Music), London. View all posts by Dr Marcus Bunyan