collection named "Untitled" is by far my favorite.
"The photographs were taken at residences for the mentally retarded
between 1966 and 1971, places she kept going back to every few
months or so, to picnics, dances, on Halloween," writes Arbus's
daughter in the short afterword.
"In those times, anyone choosing the severely handicapped as
subject matter would risk accusations of exploitation, but this
collection is immune: not simply because the subjects are
clearly willing participants, giddily posing for the rare
opportunity, but also because the product utterly lacks a
voyeuristic dimension. There is no visible attempt to compose
an art or to layer the images with the artist's interpretation.
These are simply some of the most disturbingly honest
photographs ever taken."says Eric Bryant, of "Library Journal".
I work with developmentally
disabled people, so these pictures really
mean a lot to me. In my line of work
I understand their is a fine line
between photography and exploitation.
But it is clear these individual enjoyed
the rare chance at being Arbus's models.
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