Yesterday, I went to Diane Arbus ARTIST ROOMS exhibit at the Nottingham Contemporary. I had been meaning to go ever since it opened, and through a mixture of procrastination, lack of finances, and general ennui, it was only yesterday that I managed to get there.
Arbus helped to create the visual shorthand we have for horror nowadays, for the other, whether that other involves freakshows, or transsexuals, or aging beauty queens, or older-than-their-years children, or anything like that. And the images she created helped to inspire other people, other scenes, other worlds. The photo of the identical twins above is one of the best-known examples, inspiring scenes from Kubrick’s The Shining.
Arbus brought the horrible and sublime into the same realm – where you saw what was all off in the world, but so painfully real.
I’ve been interested in Diane Arbus ever since I first read The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror
The Nottingham Contemporary has a wonderful exhibit on, with a wide range of photos. And, when you see them, you realise how shocking they must have been when they were first shown, and how much things have changed since then. How these photos – photos of interracial marriage, transvestites, pro-war protesters, tattooed men – are often things we see on a regular basis.
One of the staff members walking through the exhibit had a full tattoo sleeve on one of his arms. I wondered if Diane would’ve wanted to take a photo of him. I should have taken one next to the Jack Dracula photo.
The exhibit runs until 3rd October. Entry is free, and if you are in Nottingham, or feel like a day trip, I highly recommend it.