In order to do so she has made use of racial, sexual and political stereotypes which allow her to offer a profound critique of the system and of artistic practice itself.
Since her first series, Family Pictures and Stories (1978-1984), and during more than thirty years of artistic activity, issues concerning power, race, violence, gender, politics and identity have been constantly present in her work, approached by the artist from a narrative rather than a documentary perspective and with the use of a range of supports and languages: photographs (grouped together to form series), texts, performances and large-scale installations. Carrie Mae Weems’s artistic practice transcends the specific and reflects on a complex past that she projects with hope onto the future, connecting different generations. In a number of her series the artist presents herself as a new narrator of history, sometimes in a literal manner by photographing herself from behind in many scenes as an anonymous figure, a woman and a present/absent Black body in a performative pose that has accompanied her throughout her career since she studied dance at the outset of her activities.
The exhibition Carrie Mae Weems. A great turn in the possible, organised by Fundación MAPFRE in collaboration with Foto Colectania and the Württembergischer Kunstverein Stuttgart, offers a chronological and thematic survey of the artist’s work through her series, some of which are on display in the Foto Colectania exhibition space, including Kitchen Table Series (1990) and And 22 Million Very Tired and Very Angry People (1991).
In addition, the MACBA (Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona) will be presenting the installation Lincoln, Lonnie, and Me (2012) in conjunction with the exhibition.
