Visual Art Currently Hanging
posted by on August 8 at 11:08 AM
Jesse Burke’s Shame (2007), c-print, 14 by 11 inches
It is one of my enduring regrets as a critic that I did not review Jesse Burke’s show at Platform Gallery last year.
Burke’s visions of New England and its men—they really should be considered as a soft, hulking total body of work, as on Burke’s web site here—are like falsetto singing. A great and proper falsetto voice is a thick, proud thing, unlike its false brother, the lightly misogynistic wheeze used to mock wussery.
The real falsetto—this is something I learned by listening to my father sing—is remarkable for its departure from stereotypical masculine noise. It’s a surprise when it comes out. An alternative. The same goes for Burke’s portraits of guys in landscapes, guys with beers, guys with bellies, guys being affectionate with each other, guys to whom the camera is being affectionate. Maybe I’m being dim, but I have no idea whether Burke is gay or straight from these, which is a sort of triumph in itself.
Tonight at Platform from 5:30 to 8, there’s a party to celebrate the release of the first book of Burke’s photography, and the artist will be in attendance for you to ogle. The party is also in honor of two other new photography books by the gallery’s publishing arm, DECODE Books, devoted to the work of John Jenkins III and Doug Keyes. Former Seattle contemporary curator Sheryl Conkelton (recall her terrific show What It Meant to Be Modern at the Henry in 2000, and her equally refreshing Northwest School exhibition and catalog for Tacoma Art Museum in 2003) will also be there.
Admission is free! Books, I believe, are $35.
$35 says that picture is just as boring in the gallery as it is online.
Hmmmm...I agree with Mr. Poe a bit...they are kind of boring. I appreciate the departure from "perfect" but if you sign onto Manhunt between 1am and 6am, there are people online who look exactly like this...in fact, I think I've seen a few of them on Manhunt myself, including that dead fox with the rotted-out eyes.
I gotta disagree with you both - the photo is friggin' gorgeous. I don't think there's anything extrordinary about any of the elements like the lighting, the posture, or the accesbility of the a bearded guy in a camo cap - but the combination is gripping. Well, for me.
You have no idea whether Burke is straight or gay from these photos and you think that's a triumph on the part of the picture-taker? Sorry, but that's a failure on the part of the observer to see the obvious.
I don't really care what his orientation is. I kinda like that there's mystery about that - I think that kinda of sexual dysphoria is actually healthy/progressive on a cultural level.
@3, vive la difference! :-)
Saw this show last night and really enjoyed it. I thought the small scale that they presented all of the photos in was a nice departure from most contemporary photography.
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