hh, Southern
California, where the City of Angels
is more like a clusterfuck of carnivorous birds swooping
down on our better sensibilities. It prays on the
poster child-pining parents who desperately want
their delusional dreams to come through for their
image-hungry children.
The photography of Lauren Greenfield uncovers the
blatant and subtle truths of growing up in a town
where “the industry” provides most of
the economy.
Her exhibit at the Salt Lake ART Center, “Fast
Forward: Growing up in the Shadow of Hollywood,” uncovers
the paradox of innocence intersecting with growing
up too fast—where children are in danger of
becoming roles instead of people.
Sure, anything can happen in such a situation, but
mostly money and sex create the front stage while
the actual people play as grips to their own low-end
production. This becomes L.A culture’s concession
of lifestyle.
The youth want image, the image of “hard.” Greenfield
notes that underprivileged youth try to front that
they have money to spend. Privileged youth try to
front that they have a hard-knock life.
Greenfield works more as a journalist in this regard.
Her fieldwork will stun you—popular culture
turns transparent out of the mouths of the people
who project it most, such as the young boy who understands
and articulates, “Money ruins children. I feel
it has ruined me.”
The exhibit brings forth compassion and nostalgia
for youth. The photographs are familiar and accessible.
Greenfield is conscience of the subtleties—the
blank stare of a pretty mother figure who buys porn
for her child and old English gangsta-scrawl tattoos
of ‘hard life’ on skinny-boy frames.
The photography is done with a process called cibachrome,
which gives the photos an extra metallic shine. Ironically
enough, they are printed on plastic, not paper. The
photos are meant to be realistic. The camera is given
space for its own actions. The pictures are not precise,
however. Some glare and out-of-focus exposures are
allowed through.
The photos show young girls living in hotels, making
the best of the day and hoping to lose enough weight
to become a model. One piece is titled, “A
Freshman Watches as a Sophomore Inhales Air Freshener
in the High School Bathroom During Nutrition Break.”
Greenfield does an excellent job of not marginalizing
the subject into a set of stereotypical statistics.
These are people. I hope you have a fierce reaction
to the portraits through your discursive meeting.
The show is currently on display and will run through
May 30. The Salt Lake Art Center is located at
20 S. West Temple. Call 328-4201 for gallery hours.
stephanie@red-mag.com
