THE OBLIQUE PORTRAITIST’S MANIFESTO

PHOTOGRAPHY is a valid form of art
AMBIGUITY is the central pivot and tenet of the work in question
A project can be entirely in one’s own mind but more often completely within the confines of one’s own BATHROOM
A photographic portrait does NOT necessarily involve photographing a person
The mundane and familiar can be SINISTER and unnerving
The PLASTIC and artificial can visually transform and morph into human flesh
The WHOLE picture is not an essential requirement in the presentation of the subject
ALLUSION and implication are encouraged
To BLUR is to reveal
COLOUR, light, pattern, shape are crucial elements in any photograph
INANIMATE objects have personalities
CROPPING can be expansive
Observing the DETAIL and magnifying the MICROSCOPIC is to be celebrated
Experimentation, exploration and having FUN are the starting points for any art endeavour
The QUIRKY and the KITSCH are as authentic as forms of so-called high art
To like and enjoy one’s OWN art is more important than outside appreciation – but that can be really nice actually and is not to be discouraged
To stage and to FABRICATE is welcomed and often essential
To be completely original is almost impossible in this post-post-post modernist era and deliberate PLAGIARISMcan be seen as ‘the new originality’ *

*(not that I am actually deliberately plagiarising anybody’s work at the moment – but it’s nice to have the option)