Dorota Weizczorek
Isabel Sampedro and Agustina O’Farrell
“The only rules I am breaking are my own.” said the photographer, Dorota
Weizczorek as she reflected upon her solo exhibition at the 473 Broadway Gallery,
April 2003. The reasoning behind her statement may be that she was the subject
of display: fifteen large self-portraits revealed her in different states of
mind and expression for this series.
Intense laughter,
a dazzled glance, solemn looks…these are some of the moods that were captured
by the artist’s camera in color and black and white film. The originality
of the color works was in the use of tungsten lightning that created an orange/reddish
effect. This studio strategy resulted in a diffusion of the atmosphere, but at
the same time, careful illumination emphasized the features of the subject to
such extent that the viewer could actually hear laughing and feel Dorota’s
eyes staring at them.
The black and white
photographs also had a twist. Their natural appearance was obtained by scanning
and printing the film on a transparency paper. To accentuate the three dimensional
qualities of this technique, the artist used textured paper as a background and
added sepia toning to create another layer of affect.
These different
techniques not only were subject to an artistic purpose, but they were part of
a personal challenge: “I never though I would be able to show my self-portrait
to the public. I believed that it is too personal and I will reveal too much
about who I really am.” Through this confession, Weizczorek expresses what
this exhibition meant to her: a chance to present herself to the public without
hiding the truth.
Because truth in general” is what she wants to convey through her artwork,
despite the risk of placing herself in such a vulnerable position, the artist
becomes the subject. “I also believe than it is much more valuable for me
as an artist, when my work brings up any kind of emotion. I prefer when the viewer
hates it rather than nothing to say about it.” That is the way Weizczorek
navigates the process of creation and exhibition.
