Text by Li Xiuxian
Maria Dabrowski
The young artist Maria Dabrowski presents her photography work Piece of Heaven in the LUCA exhibition. When she ponders upon which place she has never been to but would like to go to, she thinks of heaven. And here is her work. She imagines Brussels to be the heaven, and there on the street she offers a bar of chocolate to passengers. The whole process is documented by the artist’s fellow colleague. The whole series is a story about sharing chocolate in heaven, attractive, wonderful and also thought-provoking.
Photography’s Documentary Quality
The professor of philosophy Barbara E. Savedoff remarks: “Photography’s special significance lies in its documentary quality” 93). Such quality manifests itself in Dabrowski’s work in a prominent manner. The whole series gives the viewer a clear cue of how an idea is being executed, from the very start of asking the first passenger to the end when an empty chocolate box is showed. Hence, one could sense the power of photography, which documents and presents the event as a whole. Also, every three or four photographs form an individual scene where Dabrowski invites one passenger to share the chocolate. Through these three or four photographs, the viewer is able to grasp the interaction between the artist and stranger. The documentary quality contributes to an understanding of each scenario.
Photography: an Approach to Understand
Largely because of its documentary quality, photography can be viewed as a representation of the world. Piece of Heaven describes people meeting in Belgium or heaven). It brings people together across space and time, since the shooting and viewing happen in different locations and time. It serves as a place where the photographed, artist, and viewer could share their past, present and even future. Such experience offers the participant a chance to understand the other and their cultures as well as himself. Themes like trust, health, love are presented in the series, and trigger one’s thinking. Dabrowski’s photography is full of thoughtful insights.
Language and the Absence of Photography
Besides photographs, language plays a key role in Dabrowski’s Piece of Heaven. Dabrowski notes that she likes to put others in picture, use their sentences and her own opinion. The short sentences below each photograph explain what is going on, readable and clear. They help make the process more amusing and absorbing. Furthermore, the artist manages to present the photographs and explanations as a harmonious whole, both of which are indispensable. Then the text goes smoothly for the viewer.
It is noticeable that there are photographs missing, because some refuse to be photographed. The absence of photography, or “blank” photographs, also forms a narrative. It works in a way as the rest of photographs, which drives the viewer to explore the reason behind as well as important issues concerning photography, for instance, one’s psychology. There is always thinking going on when one sees Dabrowski’s photography, and this is what I mean her photography is thought-provoking.
Humour in Photography
The young artist confesses that she has never used humour in a conscious way before. For this artistic creation, “humour is to get something out of the absurd idea of ‘sharing’ this moment of ‘heaven’”. It is black humour that is rooted in the artist’s concepts of creation. The struggle between the absurd and reality generates a dry sense of humour. It might not make one laugh loud, but it would certainly strike one at certain moment, becoming one’s punctum. This is what the creative artist Dabrowski brings to the audience. Documenting, sharing, and reflecting through Piece of Heaven.
Works Cited
– Dabrowski, Maria. Personal interview. 29 March 2015.
– Savedoff, Barbara E. “Transforming Images: Photographs of Representations”. The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Vol. 50, No. 2 Spring, 1992): 93. JSTOR. Web. 28 March. 2015.
photography performing humour 