Dimensions: unconfirmed: 610 x 653 mm
Copyright: © Douglas Gordon | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: Here we have Douglas Gordon’s striking "Blind James (white)". This black and white photograph gives me the chills, something about those eyes… What’s your take? Curator: It's haunting, isn't it? I see a commentary on celebrity, perhaps. James's familiar face, now alien, forces us to reconsider our perceptions. It's like a dream, or a nightmare, where something familiar is twisted. Are we really *seeing* him, or just our constructed image? Editor: So, it's about how we perceive, not just who we perceive? Curator: Precisely! Gordon is poking at the constructed nature of image and memory. He's asking if sight, paradoxically, blinds us to a deeper understanding. Food for thought, eh? Editor: Definitely! I'll never look at a portrait the same way.
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Blind James (white) is one of a group of ‘blind’ portraits Gordon has created by excising the eyes from publicity stills of Hollywood stars of the 1950s and 1960s. This image features actor James Mason. The simple gesture of removing the actor’s eyes renders the image sinister and emphasises the mask-like nature of Mason’s role as actor and icon. Gordon is fascinated by dualities and the tension between good and evil. The excision of eyes in this work may suggest an unknowable alter-ego hidden behind the polished veneer of the portrait. Gallery label, December 2006
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