Artist: LIZZIE VICKERY (bio)
Work: CANADA
[ photograph - digital c-print / 20 x 25 inches ]
- click on image below to see larger version -
Images have been used to illustrate stereotypes since the emergence of the photographic medium. Our idea of cultural identity is molded by the repeated viewing of iconic imagery, for example, a picture on a postcard. Preconceived notions about a country are further enforced by tourism and the souvenir merchandise collected while going on vacation. International dolls, popular in the twentieth century, are an example of the way cultures are classified - a plastic representation of a person, meant to signify the countries inhabitants. As the world grows into a global village and the medium of photography becomes more accessible, our notion of other societies is expanded. The camera is put into the hands of the doll to express the irony of their plight and suggest the photographic potential to reinvent our perceptions.
