Subjective and Personal, the Diaristic Approach in Photography

Abstract

The artists dealing with diaristic approach are as varied as their works. What connects them can be described as a highly personal strife for authenticity. In this relation, documentary photography has been under revision and scrutiny since the 1970s by the well-known standpoint of photographer/subject relationship. In this thesis I diverge from this ethical debate of representation and find new ways to analyse contemporary photography and to interpret it in more complex, nuanced and fulfilling ways. Within this context, Lucy Soutter’s writings on the notion of authenticity in “Why Art Photography?” explains how contemporary photography can be relatable in a way that engages the viewer in an emphatic and intimate dialogue. Without completely avoiding or taking on the critique of authenticity, Soutter’s notion is generating space for new ways to create art and interpret contemporary photography in the face of criticism, where contemporary photography has largely retreated from debates. I will prove the capability of photography to have an important place in contemporary art to investigate, explore and address the essential questions of the present day world. In this thesis, I will define the strengths and weaknesses of Soutter’s notion with examples by the artists Nan Goldin and Boris Mikhailov, who are working with the diaristic approach in photography. By the subjective ways through their own personal experience, gender identities and politically oppressive backgrounds these artists approach the depictions and presence of body in order to affect intimacy, recognition and identification.