Atelier 31 | Artists

JUDITH KINDLER / PHOTOGRAPHY

Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Beautiful (A parody on life and what we admire)

Lady Gaga. Beautiful? Hideous? A genius? A curiosity? Depends on the beholder, and the context. This collection is my parody on life, and what we admire. Why, how we have come to deign certain subjects (a Damien Hurst animal floating in formaldehyde, for example) as admirable, beautiful, desirable, etc.

The photographs in this documentary series convey a sense of gravity. But, really, I am at play. Lighten up, these works say, and there is humor and satire to be found here as iconic subjects are re-contextualized. This purely photographic work tells its story through props at play with subjects who are placed before stark backdrops. Yet, all maintain a simple focus and composition, magnifying the psychological overtones I seek, similar to my photo-based encaustic work with a many-layered narrative. This work was described by Stefano Catalani, curator of the Bellevue Arts Museum in “Defining Truth/ Judith Kindler ” as follows: “The composition of the photographs is minimal, reduced to standing girls and young women in white delicate clothing, often against an indefinite and blurred background. The spatial perception here is blind, almost dimensionless, except for the human figure. The white atmosphere is rarefied, suspended, though charged at times with symptoms of tension: A sudden gesture of embrace, eye contact with the viewer, lifted hands, or eyes cast down . . . Judith Kindler builds up the narrative and iconographic space . . . a repertoire of symbols and seminal ideas projected out for readers able to decipher.”

The photographs are printed with Ultrachrome K3 Archival Pigmented Inks on Ultra- Premium Luster Photo Paper. The artist’s signature/mark and edition number appear in the lower right hand corner of the image.

The series of 36 photographs are each available in two sizes: 60” X 40” – edition of 3 and 40“ X 26.67” – edition of 3 and all were created in 2009

Click on photo to see larger image and availability

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