Minnesota Bodybuilding competition - Hinckley, 1996 (from American Beauty) © Kristine Heykants 2017
Not long ago, I happened upon the book Arbus Friedlander Winogrand: New Documents, 1967 in my favorite museum gift shop. Recently published on the 50th anniversary of the MoMA exhibition of the same name, it was curated by longtime proponent of art photography John Szarkowski. Prior to the 1960s, he contended, documentary photography focused on social issues. For him, the featured photographers presented a new direction in photography. "Their aim has been not to reform life, but to know it," he said.
For a couple of generations now, Diane Arbus and Gary Winogrand have been influential to artists who look to the peculiarities of everyday life for inspiration. With my pictures, I aim to share the quirks of my experience with my audience.