2. Alessandra Sanguinetti - The Narrative Portrait
The Narrative Portrait
By Alessandra Sanguinetti
When making a portrait, we have a rare opportunity to unabashedly gaze into someone else’s world – be it a loved one or a stranger – at times anonymously, at other times with the complicity of the portrayed. This workshop will explore portraiture in its many forms, with an emphasis on the use of portraiture within a narrative. The participants will be expected to engage with a subject in ways that challenge their comfort levels and boundaries, with a sense of play and a willingness to experiment.
The first day of the workshop will consist of group portfolio reviews an overview of historical and contemporary portraiture. We will then discuss selection of a subject for the week; participants can select their own or have one assigned based on a theme in which they are interested. Each option offers different opportunities and challenges. The week will consist of shooting, editing, and discussing the work, including talking about approach and technique. There will additionally be collaboration within the class, in which each participant will assist someone else for a day. The workshop may overlap with Jim Goldberg’s class in review of the work-in-progress. By the end of the workshop, each participant will have created a narrative portrait of their subject consisting of a collection of edited and sequenced images, and a notion of the ideal form of presentation for the work.
Prior requirements/preparations:
Participants should bring an edited digital or print portfolio of their work and be prepared to give a 5-minute presentation about themselves. Participants should research the surroundings of Kuldīga prior to arrival, including the history, communities, and social scene. All students need to bring their own equipment including a tripod if they own one.
Alessandra Sanguinetti is a recipient of generous awards and fellowships, such as Guggenheim Foundation fellowship, a Hasselblad Foundation grant, an Arles Discovery Award, and a Robert Gardner Fellowship, and my photographs are included in public and private collections, such as the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA NY), the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and others. Monographs include On the Sixth Day, The Adventures of Guille and Beli and the Enigmatic Meaning of their Dreams, and Sorry, Welcome.
She has photographed for The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker and New York Magazine and is represented by Yossi Milo Gallery in New York City, Ruth Benzacar Gallery in Buenos Aires and is a member of Magnum Photos.