Today, I went to an exhibition at the Arnolfini center in Bristol, after not having been to an exhibition physically since January 2019, I have to say it has been really nice to get out and see work again. Not only this, but being able to sit in a cafe to write up my reflections on the work is even more of a delight.
I came to this exhibition center originally to see Jo Spence’s work as her photo therapy work is something I have been very interested in for a while now, although, going to the exhibition has made me realize that her work makes me feel very uncomfortable and strange, I seem to have developed a sort of hate for her images, I can definitely agree that i feel very strongly about them, but maybe not necessarily in a good way. Exhibitions really do have a way of making you see work and feel exactly what you may not have been able to feel when looking at the work on a screen.
I have now come to the conclusion that even though I believed that i loved her work, it is the concept behind it that I love. I love the idea of using photography as a form of therapy to help express yourself, or even just as a hobby to cheer yourself up. I feel as if making this type of work where you have had bad relationships with people and making them into images, will instead of helping the situation, only make you remember those bad memories anytime you see the photographs. Now, this is completely my outlook on the work, and maybe Spence did not feel the same way, and maybe it did help her to feel relief and to be able to move away from her problems, but for me, anytime I look at her work, I feel so down and depressed. Maybe this was the intention, but I cannot say that I like it. I guess the fact that she is in every image could have something to do with it as I find it to be quite boring and repetitive.
