I just received the artist's copy of the book "Best of Bondage" from Goliath Publishing
It's one of those fat photo collection books, featuring the works of 8 photographer, including yours truly, and one vintage photo collector.
I'm relieved to see the final product on this project and I'm really happy to be in this book - but I've got mixed feelings about it as well...
The contents are nice and many of the images are hot, so it'll be a lovely edition for home libraries and erotica collections. The varied style represented are fun to savor. I'm going to enjoy having it in my book shelves. The photo reproductions were generally decent for a book like this. Although, having seen the gallery prints on many of these pieces, such as Craig Morey's work and mine, I know that the viewer are missing the richness in many of the finer photos.
The cover image choice I find very disappointing. Of all the images of lust, pleasure and delight in the book, why did they have to put an image of a frightened woman on the cover? As a consumer of erotica and erotic art, as well as a sexuality educator and a woman, this creeps me out. It sends the wrong message about the book and perpetuates a lot of the negative and misguided stereotype of bondage sex.
I'm also uncomfortable with the gender bias of the book.
The title should have been "Super Collection: Rope Bound Women" or "She's All Tied Up" or something like that. All the images are of women tied up. There are 3 faint prop like suggestion of males as the partner of the bound female subject. Men like to get tied up too and some people want to see images of men tied up. I suppose it's a marketing decision - which makes me all the more uncomfortable in regards to the greater acceptance of the objectified female form and the assumption of the male gaze - over the sexualization of masculine form. I'll be thrilled to bits when Goliath (and other publishers) come out with mor male-bound books. When they do, I have a huge body of photographic work for them. Since I focus more on shooting the bound male forms rather than the female forms, it was actually hard for me to find enough images to submit to the editor to choose from.
Another gender bias:
I'm the only female photographer in this collection. It's one of the reasons I accepted the offer to be included. Why are so many of the "recognized" erotic photographers men, when in reality there are so many amazing female photographers creating beautiful, erotic and challenging images? Women like Michele Serchuk and Christine Kessler are creating kick ass images.
I do find it sadly interesting that when it comes to both rope bondage rigging and photography, the female artists seems to get the short end of representation and sometimes suffer subtle and not so subtle patronizing dismissal from their male colleagues and media.
I suppose things haven't changed much in the arts world. The same lament have been documented in most art movements. On my recent visit to the Art Gallery Ontario, to see the "Surreal Things" exhibition organized by London's Victoria & Albert Museum, I read similar experiences of the fine female surrealist artists. Why is the artistic representation of the body and desire necessarily the domain of men? As fiercely sexual beings as well as the oft objectified gender, we have much to say and show of eroticism.
So I found it interesting that the publisher chose to title my work as "Sensual Bondage".
My representation of the female form, especially those in ropes, aren't meant to be sensual. Just take a look at my photos in the book. (But if you see as sensual and enjoy them, I won't complain.) The compositions are often ment to be emotionally disconcerting. The heads of the women are often cut off and the bodies seem tossed away. I like to explore the image that represent the byproduct of exploitation. The possible end result of where the male gazes goes to, yet fear to shed light on it's unspoken conclusion. The commodified, disposable, possessed, replaced, used, broken and discarded things that were once so coveted... It's no accident that many of my shots look like crime scenes. To find the beauty in the broken... Like Blanche in "Street Car Named Desire", like the ruins of temples after brutal wars.
As a contributing artist to a collection I know don't have control over the final collection.
What I can do is to continue to produce works that are true to my artistic vision, keep chugging at it, and use opportunities like this blog to say the things that weren't included in the book or other venues.
I can also seek out venues where I am able to express myself with my full artistic integrity, such as my shows upcoming at the Femina Potens Gallery. I have a performance art piece happening there on August 22 and a month long solo sculpture and installation exhibit there in September. The opportunities, in this current economic climate, maybe scarece, but I'm working away at them.
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