Practitioner & Photographer

Group Presentation Slide

On week 5 we were given an assignment brief on researching and studying about the given practitioner/photographer. The practitioners that was given for Group 1 was Larry Clark.

These were some of my findings:

Larry Clark was an American photographer and filmmaker known for his raw and unfiltered depictions of youth culture. His black and white images determined him to capture overt sexuality, drug use and violence.

In 1971, he published an iconic photobook called "Tulsa". It is a collection of black-and-white photographs - the life of young people in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His photobook is about the real insight into youth culture and 60’s drug scene in suburban America - the lives of three-drug (type of drug) using friends from idealism and ecstasy to trauma.

In 1983, Larry Clark published his second photobook called "Teenage Lust". His book consists of family portraits and photographs from his hometown of Tulsa and his life in New York City. He took portraits of male hustlers in Times Square, exposing the vulnerabilities of adolescent masculinity.

In the 1990s, he drew on the cinematic and narrative qualities of his photographs, as he began the transition from still images to working in film.

In 1995, he released his first feature film “Kids”. The themes of the film - destructive family relationships, the construction of social behaviours, and the roots of violence.

In conclusion, Larry Clark uses photography to tell stories and express himself (King ,2002.) His photobook mark a moment in American photography. One of his projects ‘Tulsa’ was to examine the book’s initial critical reception and significance within that specific cultural and artistic climate. (William, 2013)