Under The Influence: Lorna Simpson (Aliyah Valcin)

    I want to focus on the collage and composition work of Lorna Simpson. She is an experimental photographer who creates variety in her work with works in sculpture, film, painting, and collages. She has been featured in the Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Walker Art Center, and many more. Her journey began in the 1990s and was focused on large-scale photograph-and-text works. Her work pushes the idea of gender roles and incorporates mainly African American subjects as it ties into her background as a Black woman in art. 

    The medium that caught my attention were Simpson’s handmade collage works. Her Riunite & Ice (2014–2018) series is one that intrigued me to recreate. For this series, she experiments with collaging images and the placement of ink in her composition. The ink effect used in her series makes each one of her pieces unique since it flows in a natural way. Another work that I am curious about is Levels (2021– Earth & Sky series). For this piece, the subject is cut out from its original background and is placed on top of an image which I interpret to be hair. The rock-like imagery used is layered and stacked in different directions and is shaped like hair layered on a woman's head. The rock imagery adds dimension to the piece. Stars from Dusk to Dawn (2021– Sky Pin Ups series) uses astrological imagery and combines it with images of female portraits. When looking at this series I can use my imagination to fill in the blanks of what the astrological image is masking out. Out of the above-mentioned works, I believe that this is the most variable for interpretation. Taking a portrait photo and getting rid of the main element of a figure changes how one would look at these collages. The viewer interpreting the work in their own way gives them the chance to be an artist in their mind and figure out the missing pieces of the work. 

    Simpson’s work is experimental yet has a running theme throughout. Her theme is highlighting Black women and elements such as their hair and stature. In her portrait-based collage works she uses realistic imagery rather than relying on surrealism. To expand on Lorna Simpson’s work, I want to use more modern imagery of Black women in society and possibly include multiple subjects in my compositions. For my series I still want the subjects to be the focal point so I will do this by placing my compositions on a paper/neutral background to still draw the viewer in. The goal is to create experimental works with my composition that leaves room for interpretation.