Mini-Mall Series
"I'm kind of a twisted social documentary photographer"
Out of all Catherine Opie's work I must say this series of work is my favourite. The subject matter interest and class shown in
these pieces I feel is what makes Catherine Opie what she is, a sublime modern day contemporary photographer.
She captures the most amazing but simple images in her work which have something for everyone's liking her
evident love and passion for the perfect untouchable shot is so apparent in her photography. The picture on the right has
so much going on it a great sense of involvement you get from the classical American overhead wires
and run down shops. The heart of LA is represented in this one shotin cold comparison to her Beverly Hills collection
this picture paints the other side to LA, down town, the lowest of the low, the poorest of the poor, An evil
comparison or a clever distinction of modern day social and cultural issues?
In this piece there is seemingly a relatively new building, but cleverly situated right next to a very
run down older looking building, which is really sandwiched between two older buildings with the
second creeping into the shot on the far left. The single lamppost on the left I feel gives the idea of
balance, only slightly, but wisely just enough. A nice simple view from Opie but the composition
is clean and smart. There's hard to find a meaning in some of these, but certainly I sense a small
contradiction in the qualities of the three architectures and positioning of them by Opie in this particular picture, much
relevanance to why she took this picture. As with all Opie's work it's the simplicity which is most striking
and the intrigue to many questions mostly including the word, Why?
Opie has obviously spent much time looking at these LA mini malls that fill the city's surrounding suburbs
her work is striking for its frankness. Opie also sees her photographs in their attention to detail
and tendency to beautify the subject matter, as with this piece I'm sure it's fairly hard to photograph this matter with inspiration
the majority of the time being the key when it comes to photography something isolated and run down without much
interest is usually difficult to work with let alone get positive results. I often enjoy Opie's tendency to integrate nature with
the man made world, she always seems to have relevance and control over the issue when included in her work and always seems to pull it off when it comes to being vastly interesting. So often is the case that anything she will
photograph with have nature included to ease the balance and display immaculate control and forward thinking when
it comes to a finished piece.
In each of these series of pictures the road seems the basic starting point for Opie the usage of this platform is what makes
these pictures of such interest playing on the word series as she has the effect of them being a very similar style
hence working and flowing such like a collection of photographs, almost such control in these that she could have them presented all together to
make a downtown LA street of her own. This in regards the quality and interest of each individual picture, Opie in this photo has looked
at the very harsh architecture to show the atmosphere of the area itself. The harshness, the gloominess, the darker side of
the subject matter, LA and the lifestyle. Irony created by Opie in a single, simplistic picture which says more than words could ever describe.
Again integration of nature mixed with the lamp posts on the left of the picture mixes up the atmosphere in the piece, but the
main focus of the picture really is the building and it's harshness Opie playing on the idea of first impressions being of the most
important.
Opie captures the stereotypical American mini-mall in this piece, the old Advertising hoarding, big lights on the signs to where
they want you to go. Interesting nature mixed in a concoction of old buildings and dirty looking roads. Such captivity by Opie in
this piece gives you an idea of what is to be expected, what is real and what is fantasy. Fantasy being LA is the glamour capital of the
world nothing is ever perfect, stars flock to LA for Oscars and many other major events in the Show Biz world anyone who's
anyone goes to LA, but the contradiction being would they stay in a hotel near this place or go shopping in a mini-mall like this? The
old advertising on the left shows what Opie is trying to get from this piece, sometimes not everything is black and white in
this life LA isn't all glamour and glitz and people who reside in these down town areas obviously know this the most and laugh at
assumptions of such optimistic nature. Opie almost with this collection presents herself as a go between, bringing the real to life for such
disillusion and ignorance of thought. Showing that some things are always over looked and not thought about, mainly the most important. Ignorance is bliss.
This picture is certainly my most favourite in this small selection from her mini-mall series,a superb insight into Opie as an
overall contemporary photographer with different lighting to the others night photography. The picture is technically amazing as with all night
photography if performed correctly it produces simply breathtaking results. Where Opie really extends her talent is in regards to
the fact all that is there in the day time can also be seen in this night time picture the subject matter doesn't lose any quality
with it being taken at night. Every single element Opie wanted to show the viewer is still there with the quality of the
print is just amazing due to the control and class of the shot. The amazing lighting on the left capturing the street light
and also on the right with the stop lights adds such superb smoothness and balance to the piece. The small inclusion of the sign
'Sunset' is cut off, maybe for complex personal reasoning, but it's an insight to exact location and atmosphere of the area
downtown LA on a dark, deserted, fearful looking night.
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