Poignant Pics no. 35 - On Sarah Bultitude's "Burnish"
Welcome to no. 35 in our series Poignant Pics where our editor, Diana Nicholette Jeon, writes about Sarah Bultitude’s image, “Burnish.”
Enigma and Ambiguity
Photographs have a way of covering their traces—when you look at a photograph, it’s often hard to know how it was made or why it was made, and that produces an anxiety. So people often want to know that and think that that’s the meaning. I am deeply suspicious of that. John Cage had a nice expression; he called it “response ability,” the freedom to respond, but also a kind of obligation to bring what you can to it.
–David Campany
Burnish
I'm so intrigued by this image by New Zealand artist Sarah Bultitude that I've been continually returning to look at it frequently during the last three months. I'd say I'm most definitely intrigued.
I have so many questions about this image: Is it a human or a mannequin? Is the black paint on the figure a societal statement or an artistic choice? Is the graphic floral print applied to the figure an exquisite show of Photoshop "image-displacement" prowess, drawn onto the black-paint-covered figure, or part of a leotard? (I'm less apt to think the latter, though, as I saw this pattern on white fabric in another image Sarah created.)
Though I'm loosely acquainted with Sarah via Instagram, and we comment on each other's images, I realized that I don't know how and why she makes her images. I know that she is interested in the human condition, which articulates clearly in much of her work. Her website states that she is particularly interested "in turning her gaze toward frailties, emotions, and responses to internal and external events."
Asked about this image, she wrote, "I am fascinated by the many skins we wear as we go through life. We all accumulate a collection of skins that represent different life stages, opinions, interests, and relationships that we've outgrown. In this work, the botanical skinned graphic represents nature. The benefits of communing with nature are widely documented, and as an artist, it influences me greatly."
I did not see Sarah's intent when I looked at this image. I can absolutely see it after she said that, but it's not something that jumped off the page at me. I see ha'aha'a* via the posture and gesture; I perceive hiding of self; I feel a sense of sadness or regret. Some people may believe that the work has failed if the viewer does not feel what the artist intended. But I beg to differ. The fact that Sarah's image kept me coming back to it for three months, kept me looking, kept me curious means that the image has succeeded brilliantly. I mean, how many photographs can you name that kept you continually going back to them for weeks on end, looking, seeking, admiring? Does it matter that I did not see her meaning without her telling me when the image has served well as a leaping point for my personal interpretation?
Bravo, Sarah! Please keep them coming!
*Hawaiian word whose closest translation would be humbleness or humility.
Artist Bio
Born in Christchurch, New Zealand, Sarah Bultitude’s images have been described as “emotive” and with “simultaneously bold and delicate balances”. She is particularly interested in the human condition, turning her gaze toward frailties, emotions and responses to internal and external events.
She was highly influenced by her Grandfather and Father’s passion for photography, which sparked her interest in the medium. Her earliest memories include failing to sit still for childhood portraits, which she would later watch emerge in her Father’s darkroom.
She has exhibited in solo and group shows in Queenstown, New Zealand and Oklahoma City University, USA., and she has won multiple awards. Sarah embraces a variety of photographic techniques.
She now resides in Queenstown, New Zealand with her husband and two children.
See more of Sarah’s work here.
Author Bio
Diana Nicholette Jeon is an award-winning artist based in Honolulu, HI, who works primarily with lens-based media. Her work has been seen both internationally and nationally in solo and group exhibitions. Jeon holds an MFA from UMBC.