The document records an online class discussion for Lehman College’s Spring 2026 lecture series “Photography & Performance.” Students and the instructor, Brian McCormick, post reflections on a curated set of artists whose work blends photography with performance, self‑portraiture, and activism. The primary artists discussed are Carrie Mae Weems (The Kitchen Table Series), Samuel Fosso (self‑portraiture as historical figures), Zanele Muholi (LGBTQ+ visibility in South Africa), Mehdi‑Georges Lahlou (provocative videos that subvert Islamic symbols), and Cindy Sherman (persona construction and controversial black‑face work). Each post interprets visual elements, contextualizes cultural and political meanings, and connects personal experience to broader themes of identity, gender, race, religion, and community empowerment. The instructor’s comments repeatedly emphasize the distinction between community‑oriented art (Muholi, Weems) and self‑oriented, sometimes problematic, art (Sherman), and highlights how photography can function as a tool for activism, historical reclamation, and challenging stereotypes. The discussion also surfaces cross‑cultural perspectives, with students relating the works to their own backgrounds (e.g., Hindu, Muslim, Afro‑Latino, Dominican). Overall, the content illustrates how photography can serve as a performative medium that negotiates personal narratives, collective memory, and sociopolitical critique.
Topics
Weems' Kitchen Table Series: Domestic Space as Performative Narrative
Analysis of Carrie Mae Weems’s series where the artist positions herself at a kitchen table to explore intimacy, gender roles, Black womanhood, and the politics of everyday domestic spaces.