Stella Whalley's work takes the form of the photographic
print from performance, drawings etchings and embroideries
of solitary personae in diverse settings, bedroom, clinic,
bathroom, church. Whalley 'stars' in all the photographs herself
so that, despite the apparent veracity of the scenarios, they
are exposed as fictional constructs.
This is particularly interesting in light of the subjects
the photographs address ? medicine, porn, religion- areas
with a history of theatricality, of fiction posing as reality.
Thus the viewer is invited to question the nature of representation
in other contexts also ? from the photographs in medical journals
or textbooks to the centrefolds of pornographic magazines.
Obviously, there is also a feminist statement inherent in
Whalley's act of taking such control over the image: setting
it up, performing it, photographing it, manipulating it, determining
its display.
Whalley's concerns with the human condition have also been
explored through objects and the environment from the hospital
to the installations at public places. Her interest lies with
our associations with objects relating to the human form.
Comic dialogue appears with hairdryers, lamps, chairs, medical
implements and flowers.
The documentary of this work has shown her concerns with
the diversity and cultural differences in society. Subject
matter has been taken from private and public material and
comments on the ideal environment, the places in our dreams. |
