The Story Series

Published on the occasion of the exhibition Carolyn Marks Blackwood, The Story Series at the Roberto Polo Gallery, Brussels from November 17, 2017 to January 13, 2018. In the past, Carolyn Marks Blackwood's photographs have ranged from abstractions to specific subjects that reference nature. The Story Series is different. These large-scale monumental photographs are captioned with a line of script that provokes the viewer to complete the story that Blackwood initiates. Those captions are psychologically charged. Each viewer completes the story Blackwood sets into motion, thus becoming the author of his or her own personal narrative. People have never inhabited Blackwood's photographs. The Story Series is no exception. No human beings are in sight, but the photo-graphs conjure invisible characters, whose fates are suggested by a narrative caption at the bottom of each image. Drawing on all of her extensive visual experiences, as well as her own feelings and emotions, Blackwood creates a new kind of photograph that demands the participation of the viewer, lending her images a distinct and original urgency and poignancy ...