Canadian artist Stan Douglas is a man obsessed by history and much of his chiefly film- and photography-based work involves the reappropriation of important historical events and locations with a view to reimagining their outcomes and exploring
Who: Canadian artist Stan Douglas is a man obsessed by history and much of his chiefly film and photography-based work involves the reappropriation of important historical events and locations with a view to reimagining their outcomes and exploring various political, social and racial shifts. Equally important to the Samuel Beckett fanatic is the creation of narrative within his work, using (often complex and semi-realised) stories to engage and intrigue his audience. In his latest series of photographs Midcentury Studio – newly published in a catalogue by Ludion and on show next month at London’s Victoria Miro gallery – he has pursued these interests one step further by contriving, and adopting the stance of, a fictional photojournalist working in Vancouver (Douglas' own hometown) between 1945 and 1951.
"To create the series, Douglas went as far as to construct a real "midcentury studio" using bona fide equiptment, hunting out appropriate locations and employing actors, stylists and make-up artists..."
What: To create the series – which comprises of over 40 monochrome photographs – Douglas went as far as to construct a real "midcentury studio" using bona fide equipment, hunting out appropriate locations and employing actors, stylists and make-up artists, much as a film director would, to achieve an authentic period aesthetic. Many different genres are represented among the images, reflecting the obsessions of the age – from "caught-in-the moment" crime-scene shots to sporting scenes; and beautifully enigmatic fashion illustrations (like Hair, 1948) to public shows and curiosities (like jugglers and magicians). For these works Douglas was as precise in his research as he was in his practice, spending hours poring over the Vancouver Public Library's collections from original studios and channelling photographers of the time like Weegee and Raymond Munro.
Why: In Midcentury Studio Douglas looks not only to render a multi-faceted portrait of the period, through an exploration of the art and methods of post-war photojournalism, but also to consider the underlying pressures within the business at this, the beginning of the tabloid age. He has interestingly set out a distinct career trajectory for his anonymous character which involves his arriving to photojournalism fresh from military service, with no former understanding of the visual arts; and ultimately the "chronologically" exhibited series is supposed to document the man's dawning view that (in the words of one of the catalogue's authors, Christopher Phillips) "photographers must employ fictional ruses if they are to create a convincing visual document of their era."
Stan Douglas: Midcentury Studio is available this month from Ludion and the exhibition will run at the Victoria Miro gallery from April 18 - May 12. Another Douglas exhibition entitled Disco Angola opens today at the David Zwirner gallery, New York and runs until April 28.
Text by Daisy Woodward