There's a face I see every now and then in McMaster, a fellow photography student who I've exchanged pleasantries with yet have never really spoken nor paid much attention to. We're both rushing through the halls and smile in passing, acknowledging the shared stress and creative aggression it takes to obtain a degree in the photography program.
Sarah Kobos has work up in the student gallery of McMaster, it's a small room with 2 main walls where one can put a bit of work up or they can insert faux walls around the middle of the room to give more space for images. Sarah hosts 6 images on the west wall, evenly spaced and close together. The photographs are matted in white and framed with a simple white wood material. This white on white is perfect in my opinion as a black frame could greatly detract from the impact of these images; portraits of persons ranging in age and lifestyle. I'm not sure what drew me in first, the colors - being subtle yet providing a great intensity and sense of angst or discomfort. Maybe it was the stares I was receiving, each figure is starring point blank into the camera, confronting the photographer and viewer, daring them(us) to say something.
Each photograph is accompanied by a piece of paper, presumably Sarah gave her subjects this paper and instructed them to write for themselves their insecurities or "flaws". I wouldn't want to spoil it for you as I strongly encourage you to visit the gallery and view these images in their entirety and not depend on the binary coding of my tiny LG Cosmos, but the papers reveal awkward and most intimate information about the subject - 2 were enough to put me on the verge of tears after reading and looking again at the confronting face. As a viewer I felt forced to look at these people after receiving this information and suffer through my anxiety, distress, and the general discomfort one feels after being let in on a daring secret.
Her artist statement reads:
"I've always had a fascination with imperfection. I believe it's what makes us whole..." -Sarah Kobos
Sarah's work astounds me, I feel as though I've connected and formed a relationship of sorts with her subjects whereas if they remained images without the paper underneath I would feel as though it simply were another portrait assignment beautifully executed. I am impressed at her ability to make the viewer feel so connected or awkward based on their viewing experience and look forward to either the continuation of the series or her new works.
1615 Senate Street, McMaster College
