Exhibtion Review: Adam Broomberg with CAConrad and Gersande Spelsberg

© Adam Broomberg. Courtesy of the artist and signs and symbols, New York, Glitter in My Wounds #7

Written by Emily Capone
Edited by Jana Massoud

In his first solo exhibition at signs and symbols gallery, Adam Broomberg collaborates with trans-activist and actress, Gersande Spelsberg, and American poet and professor, CAConrad in his photographic installment, Glitter in My Wounds. Drawing on his inspiration from August Sander, whose oeuvre summed up the romanticized, well-timed moment within a photographic portrait, and Helmar Lerski, whose stance on photography was a harsher, more materialistic version of Sander’s, Broomberg seeks to redefine the two versions into his own interpretation of the self through photographic identity. 

Adam Broomberg (b. 1970) has participated in numerous solo exhibitions, as well as international group exhibitions, including the Yokohama Trienniale (2017) and The British Art Show 8 (2015-2017). In his newest photographic series, Broomberg leans into his own reenactment of Lerski’s and Sander’s works, in conjunction with CAConrad’s poem, “Glitter in My Wounds” from his book, (Soma)tic Poetry Rituals, in which the gross caricature of the LGTBQ+ identity according to a widely accepted cisgendered society is questioned. Using CAConrad’s poem as a guide, Broomberg transcends the romanticized nature of the portrait, while dismantling society’s primitive and categorized understanding of identity.

© Adam Broomberg. Courtesy of the artist and signs and symbols, New York, Glitter in My Wounds #11

Glitter in My Wounds consists of a series of portraits of Gersande Spelsburg, all of which were taken within a duration of 9 hours in Berlin. Adopting the same lighting techniques as Lerski, who uses nothing but mirrors and sunlight for his Metamorphosis Through Light series, Broomberg captures each image on a 5”x4” negative, with Spelsberg as the model for a span of 100 photographs. Each portrait appears to be a copy of the last, lining the gallery walls like a monochromatic reel. From afar, the consistency of technique and lighting appears surreal, hypnotizing. Up close, the proximity of space between lens and model forces the viewer to relate. 

© Adam Broomberg. Courtesy of the artist and signs and symbols, New York, Glitter in My Wounds #8

As if staring at my own reflection, a jarring sense of disassociation first takes effect. I find the autonomous expressions and angular shadows of Spelsburg’s jaw and cheekbones to be a primary focus. Then, as if on cue, my eyes try to compartmentalize each photograph from the last. How does Image #7 differ from Image #8? The lips appear to smile, then they purse into a slight smirk. The eyes remain soft, then they are steel – a commanding gaze. With the slight tilt of the head, light and shadow carve into the cheek bone of one, in stark contrast with the other. 

The face, a.k.a. identity, is not captured in one shot, but in multiple frames. Complex and vulnerable, hardened by reality and softened by light, each image reflects the last but with a subtle change. On view is the same person with multiple versions of the self. However, skin and bone are not key players to any identity. Broomberg questions the subjective nature of an identity behind a face, more specifically, the LGBTQ+ identity amidst the broadly cisgendered mentality that has dominated our society. In this way, Broomberg questions the status quo of identity, mirroring CAConrad’s poem through Spelsberg’s portraits: “…to know glitter on a queer is not to dazzle but to unsettle the foundation of this murderous culture.” 

The Adam Broomberg with CAConrad and Gersande Spelsberg: Glitter in My Wounds exhibition will be on view at signs and symbols gallery, New York, NY, from January 6 – February 12, 2022.

© Adam Broomberg. Courtesy of the artist and signs and symbols, New York, Glitter in My Wounds #1