SMILE - Kahinde Wiley - by Nicole Utley
The experience echoed the compassion you feel for a widow holding a strong face at the funeral or the championing you give a runner panting to the victory line. I couldn't help but feel a deeper respect for the smilers. In my own weird way, I tried to imagine who they were.
Thanks to Google, I found one still photo of the video to reference.
Observations:
John in the top left keeps looking around, readjusting, and occasionally laughing like he's trying to play off the whole thing. Like it's an awkward inside joke with the camera that he doesn't quite get.
Jay, top right, is something else. He is the only one who never looks pained. Quite the opposite actually, his eyebrows are are lifted and he's staring straight into you as if listening to you on the other side of an intimate conversation.
The only other people in the room, a couple to my left, are whispering to each other and I hear the woman comment about TJ on the bottom left, "...painful from the start." Truth. He's got a great smile, full and bright. I bet in real life it's contagious and hearty, but here there's an obvious air of duty and strain. Chin up, nostrils flared, teeth bared, and all you want is for him to be happy for real.
And finally, bottom right, Donovan. He's been here forever. Smiling valiantly, mouth twitching now, with more willpower than I could ever pretend. His eyes are full of history and they're open, but not open to the public. We will never know his story.
I wish Google had pictures of all the others I observed. Jasper, the one who commanded my attention and my compassion with squinty eyes and a tight, twitching face full of pain. Reggie, "Mr. Dreads in Dreamland", who smiled with a distant gaze convincing me he was asleep with his eyes open. And Oscar, whose afro-esque crazy hair shook with every slight movement. How hard it must be to even sit there for so long.
The description of the exhibit says that Wiley's idea has roots in an American theatrical tradition, but Wiley's work takes a twist on a "let's-play-happy" practice and uses it to expose the facade. I think it's meant to show that there is often much more baggage behind any smile than we take time to notice. If you saw only the picture above, you'd think the exhibit was literally just shots of people smiling.
Finally, not to make light of the powerful message "Smile" delivers, but did anyone else think of this?:
I really liked how much research you did into this piece you even learned the name of the participants which is impressive. I really enjoyed reading your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI also really enjoyed how much effort you put into your post! It was one of the most thorough and thought out threads I've read. I liked how you said that you tried to imagine the people as individuals and not just as an "art exhibit". Sometimes it's easy to look at something and just say "oh that's cool" or pretty or whatever without really understanding the message behind the art.
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