Andy Warhol is known for his tenacious and compulsive work ethic, which can be seen through the sheer amount of screen prints and paintings in his portfolio. However, Warhol applied this same process to a medium he is less known for: photography. Not only did Warhol take portraits and Polaroids for their own sake, but many of his screen prints and paintings also originate from a photograph.
In an exhibition titled, “Polaroids, Photographs, and Films: Re-Viewing Andy Warhol’s Work in the Age of Social Media and Self Curating,” the art department of California State University Northridge shines a light on Andy Warhol, the photographer and filmmaker.
Including over sixty black and white Polaroids and screening films Sleep (1963) and Empire (1964), the exhibition invites viewers to mediate on the Pop artist’s work within the context of today’s social media society. The exhibition questions a connection between Warhol’s obsessive photographing with our own obsessive documentation, whether it be through Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, or Instagram. Yet the exhibition also notes the inverse phenomenon; while Warhol’s lens pointed outwards, our lenses typically point inwards, creating juxtaposition between Warhol’s portraits and our “selfies.”
In his own words, Warhol explains, “A picture just means I know where I was every minute. That’s why I take pictures.”
The exhibition closes on Saturday, March 26th, 2016 at 4:00 pm, is free to the public, and is located in the Main Art Gallery.
See the exhibition dates here!
