Widening Perspectives: Revitalizing the Landscape Photography Genre

A New Dawn for Landscape Photography

In the world of photography, particularly in landscape genres, what we often encounter is a cumbersome narrative: a picturesque backdrop devoid of human stories. However, the latest exhibition at the Carnegie Museum of Art, titled Widening the Lens, challenges this outdated notion, offering a refreshing and multidimensional view of our landscapes.

Reimagining Landscape through a New Lens

One vivid illustration from the exhibition is Justine Kurland’s evocative piece, The Pig Roast (Apache Junction, Arizona) (2001), which captures a serene moment with a child and an adolescent amidst an environment that feels both staged and spontaneous. The youthful subjects, clad in casual attire, are depicted in a way that evokes whimsy rather than desperation, a stark deviation from the typical survival themes often associated with such narratives.

Kurland’s work exemplifies a larger movement within contemporary photography to reclaim the landscape genre from its historical roots of exclusion and bias. Traditionally, landscape photography has glossed over the nuanced stories of marginalized communities, particularly Indigenous, female, and nonwhite groups, favoring instead a singular view defined by the lens of male adventurers and surveyors. The Widening the Lens exhibition strives to shift this trajectory, placing underrepresented voices at the forefront of landscape storytelling.

Landscape as a Stage for Change

Widening the Lens features the works of 19 diverse artists who challenge conventional perceptions of landscape, recontextualizing it within today’s urgent ecological discourse. This is especially pertinent considering the exhibition’s goal to reinterpret the prevailing imagery of American landscapes—a visual history that has often erased local populations and their interactions with the land.

For example, the profound work of David O. Alekhuogie in his series to live and die in LA (2021) does just that. With haunting imagery of blurred waistbands juxtaposed against palm trees, he revitalizes what might typically instill fear, flipping it into a narrative of intimacy and humanity. This artistic decision not only reframes the Black male body but it also concentrates on the stories that have historically been sidelined.

Alekhuogie’s work presents a canvas that is both personal and political, emblematic of how landscape photography serves as a platform for societal discourse.

The Anatomy of Presence

Similarly, Dionne Lee explores presence and absence through her work, Casting (2022), which consists of a sequence of prints that depict her hands claiming a pebbled landscape, a poignant act of staking ownership in spaces that have deliberately excluded certain bodies. This gesture resonates deeply, especially for Black individuals historically barred from accessing national parks in America until the mid-20th century.

In the words of Walter Benjamin, certain photographs reveal the optical unconscious, presenting visual truths that evade our direct perception. This idea thrives in Lucy Raven’s film, Demolition of a Wall (Album 2) (2022), which confronts the effects of environmental exploitation in New Mexico through advanced image capture technology. The film elucidates the invisible disruptions caused by ammunition companies, pressing us to acknowledge the hidden narratives that shape our landscapes today.

An Artistic Claim to the Land

A Call to Action

The exhibition reminds us that photography, particularly landscape photography, is not merely an aesthetic endeavor but can be a vital act of climate advocacy. By rendering visible what has been historically obscured and critiquing the complacency we unconsciously accept, artists like Kurland, Alekhuogie, and Lee invite us to reconsider our relationships with both the landscapes we inhabit and the narratives we perpetuate.

As I walked through the exhibition, I felt the weight of each photograph—a reminder of stories that have often been silenced or forgotten. In an age where the climate crisis demands our attention, artists are wielding their cameras as tools of resistance and revelation.

By selecting to foreground marginalized experiences, Widening the Lens offers a corrective lens, prompting us to rethink and redefine what belongs in a landscape. This exhibition sets a precedent for future discussions on the complex layers of identity and environment that influence our collective imagery.

To truly appreciate the breadth of this exhibition, visit the Carnegie Museum of Art before it closes on January 12, 2025. A wide array of perspectives awaits, each carrying its own story about belonging and existence in a transforming world.

Conclusion

Landscape photography has the power not merely to capture beauty but to challenge narratives, reframe identities, and inspire activism. By expanding the definition of what landscapes can be, artists today are crafting images that reflect the complexity of human experiences and our urgent need for ecological awareness. Let us embrace this new vision and allow it to guide our understanding of the world around us.

Art that Speaks to Current Realities