SUSAN BOZIC, "The Dating Portfolio," Jan. 12 - Feb. 10, 2007, Nanaimo Art Gallery, Nanaimo

×

Expand

"Carl takes me to the nicest places"

Susan Bozic, "Carl takes me to the nicest places," 2005, (from The Dating Portfolio, C-Print, 30" x 40".

SUSAN BOZIC, The Dating Portfolio

Nanaimo Art Gallery, Nanaimo

Jan. 12 - Feb. 10, 2007

By Beverly Cramp

In her latest series, The Dating Portfolio, Vancouver photographer Susan Bozic has shifted from imagery of stuffed birds in blatantly contrived, theatrical settings to a different kind of animal — the amorous human. Bozic’s taxidermied bird photographs were inspired by 15th- and 16th-century Dutch still-life paintings. She says her new work “focuses more on contemporary society and how we want it all — we want our desires fulfilled by our partners and our lifestyles.” The Dating Portfolio consists of fifteen 30 x 40-inch colour photographs featuring the same dating couple: a woman, played by Bozic herself, and a man she’s named Carl, represented by a mannequin. The portraits are shot in actual locations — night clubs, homes, or outdoors — and are filled with references and symbols of  “the good life.” For example, Carl drives a Ferrari. Bozic graduated from Concordia University’s Fine Arts program with a major in photography. She also earned a minor in cinema, and her interest in theatricality and staging clearly influences her photographic practice. One photograph from The Dating Portfolio series is also included in the Mirror, Mirror: RAGA Members, Self-Portraits group show at the Richmond Art Gallery, Nov. 8 - Dec. 14, 2006.