I didn’t study art history or art theory, and I’m certainly not an artist myself, but one thing I can tell you is whether or not I like something, and exactly what I like about it. That’s really the beauty of art itself – it’s subjective. I like artwork that challenges my perceptions and flips me on my head. Something that is intriguing in both the subject and how it was executed. Now, this doesn’t mean it has to be provocative or alarming by any means, but it certainly doesn’t hurt anything.
When I moved to Shreveport in 2010, and began frequenting Lila’s Deli in the Highland neighborhood, I met Jason Pliler. At the time, Jason was working with alternative processing for photographs, investigating both new chemical processes and printing surfaces. I saw his work, in person, at Lilah’s and also at mincine? events from 2010-2011. Not only was his work at this time photography, but also detailed pen and ink drawings on paper.
Jason was initially inspired by his grandfather, but it wasn’t until high school when he began spending long hours in a darkroom. There is a distinct line that can be traced from his work to his inspirations of Sally Mann, Joel-Peter Witkin, Man Ray, and Robert Mapplethorpe. Being a photography major in college cemented his passion, and introduced him to alternative processes – cyanotype, wetplate, bromoil, and others – that would be the bedrock of his artistic pursuits. These experiments became emblematic of Jason Pliler’s work in Shreveport, with each piece not only being a remarkable piece of artwork, but a display of scientific experiments whose results synchronized into the final form.
You could imagine my surprise when arriving at the Bossier Arts Council’s East Bank Gallery to learn that this new series of works were all shot digitally. Though this seemed like a departure, as I had marked Jason as a true believer in film, it was only after he explained a few of the pieces I realized that what he is really passionate about is the process. The photo or image is really the means to an end, distorting it through a filter or juxtaposing it with other materials is the true base to his craft.
In the new series of works, the main motivation is experimenting with how an image is printed and displayed. Some feature photos printed on tissue paper, others with watercolor paper. The paper is torn, rearranged, and fixed to wood whose grainy surface adds texture. Pieces are sewn together, complementing the other artist featured in the exhibition, Whitney Caskey, whose work features a few mixed-media experiments with sewn patterns. Jason’s pieces embrace both beauty and aggression in their use of shadowing, as well as the physical tearing and damaging of the medium.
The subjects of the pieces themselves consist of highly contrasted photos of local nude models. The poses range from full bodies, to close up sections, to one particular piece that was photographed at such an angle that it took time to comprehend how the model was contorted. One particular theme that was certainly present in previous works, but not in such an open and fearless way is bondage and S&M. “I have always been attracted to the back and forth pull of the curves versus hard lines,” explained Pliler. “The contrast between deep blacks and bright highlights. For me it’s not as much about the sexuality as it is the mystery, the sensuality as well as the shapes and forms.”
“The contrast between deep blacks and bright highlights. For me it’s not as much about the sexuality as it is the mystery, the sensuality as well as the shapes and forms.”
This theme, as well as the inclusion of religious symbolism, is strikingly original for our region, and for the art venues of Shreveport. However, this is also a very true representation of the artist’s natural aesthetic and blends flawlessly with his interest in alternative processing in order to accent the contrasting subject. I certainly recognize and appreciate the artistry that goes into each piece in this exhibition. Each work demonstrates a subject with a separate purpose mixing seamlessly with the thoughtfully manipulated medium that it is paired with.
This leads to an interesting notion that I believe Jason Pliler allows us to examine: what is the imaginary line between art being sensual or provocative erotica and being exploitative or pornographic in nature? “The person looking at it,” Pliler put bluntly. “This is a much larger problem, of course. The issues are religion, a closed set of morals, a lack of education in art and in part, an unwillingness to accept that everyone is different.There really isn’t much that I can say here that hasn’t been said many times by artists and performers much greater than me.” Agreed that this may be familiar territory in the broader context of the art world, but here in Shreveport you would be hard pressed to find artists who are pushing boundaries in terms of exploring alternative sexual lifestyles or capturing intimate erotica for the public eye. Bossier Arts Council is to be commended for embracing the ambitions of all artists, no matter the subject or implications of their context.
This exhibition is the culmination of 20 years of experimental work for Pliler. According to him this is the most ambitious series that he has produced, and his most honest work to date. “The future holds more sculptural formats – resign blocks, found object work, and experimenting with printing on different materials like metal and glass.” He also would like to diversify his work beyond the gorgeous women included in this series to men and women of all races, ages, and physical representation.
Science, erotica, religion, gold-leaf, sewn patterns, bondage, wood-grain, torn edges – from description alone these words seem unrelated, but seeing the work on its own demonstrates their balance.
For more of Jason Pliler’s work visit his Facebook page.
See Jason Pliler and Whitney Caskey’s exhibition at the Bossier Art Council’s East Bank Gallery June 1 – June 30, 2016, with a reception June 18th from 2-4pm.
630 Barksdale Blvd., Bossier City, LA 71111