Annenberg
The Annenberg Space For Photography Inaugural Exhibit
March 16, 2009
I got my invitation for the inaugural exhibit of The Annenberg Space for Photography. I rarely go to openings, because I don't like the crowds and you never really get a chance to see the work, so I did not open it right away.
I wish I never opened it. It just pissed me off.
The main invite has images by 8 shooters with some connection to LA. At lease one of them does not live in LA anymore. Hmmm. No Latino shooters in the 8. Should that surprise me? But wait; there we are represented in a quinceañera pic. I guess we should be happy that they acknowledged us some how.
I move on to the card that asks us to kindly RSVP and they thought of us again with a vato with some tats and graffiti and a mural of Anthony Quinn.
As soon as I see the exhibit I will comment on the content but right now I will focus on the shooters. All are fine photographers, but should they represent Los Angeles? I don't think any are Black, Asian or Latino. There is not shortage of non-white talent. Willie Middlebrook and Howard Bingham come to mind immediately. What about Laura Aguilar, Harry Gamboa Jr or George Rodriguez? Or José Galvez, who no longer lives in LA, but documented Latino life in the early 1980's while at the Los Angeles Times and was one of the shooters, reporters and editors to win a Pulitzer in 1984 for covering the Latino community in Southern California.
Because the list of featured shooters fail to represent the ethnic make up of Los Angeles the addition of three Los Angeles Times photographers seem suspect. One Black, one Asian and one Latino, none of which are women.
If they were not a cover-our-ass afterthought, why were they not just added to the first group?