San Fran Voice

As you may know, photographer Ginny Mangrum caught my eye with stunning images of storage units (see the post). They turned my vision upside down and gave me a new perspective into something that is fairly every day. So, of course, I’m happy to be able to say that San Fran Voice interviewed Ginny and got some more info on what motivates this artist.

What can you tell us about the basics of your artwork? Specifically, how do you become drawn to the topics that you cover? My curiosities about empty public spaces normally filled with people contemplates memories and frozen moments of time that I flash upon. It began when I experienced the dual loss of having left my fiancé and then having my dog die. had an assignment at school to photograph places. I was experiencing staring spells in familiar public places like a parking space I remembered my fiancé and I parking in at a theatre lot, or a corner in a wall in a room where my dog used to bounce around. I kept waiting for them both to return. Hence the concept of “presence of absence” evolved. The work that has followed merely draws upon other ideas associated with emotions and psychological experiences. I don’t necessarily have to have a memory about the spot, but must have an emotional response to it.

Why have you chosen the medium of photography? Early on, I had a romantic idea about the dark room, like Edward Weston’s (I visited his in Carmel once), strapping men and strong women who shot with multiple cameras hanging around their necks, Sebastião Salgado and Dorthea Lang. The idea stuck.

What projects are you working on now? I am expanding upon my thesis work in grad school entitled “stored” that examined the interior hallways and isolated spaces contained within my public storage facility. The thesis focused on the tension of the claustrophobic containment within the structure and memories stored behind steel doors as in the unconscious. It was based on a frustrating experience I had trying to find my way out after getting confused by intersecting hallways. It is printed in black and white to emphasize the psychological stress of isolation. The expanded work is in color representing the life of within the stored things and documents the contents of individual units that are put up for auction because their owners did not or could not pay their bills. It reveals the stuff that people are willing to spend a good amount of money on each month to maintain but have then abandoned. I am thinking about the loss, the waste, the change of ownership. This is a 20th Century phenomena about mass consumption abundance and the fear of letting things go. This takes the original concept of containment/memories stored to its next level.

Current / upcoming shows? I am working on that. I just graduated after 8 years of an arts education, and am adjusting to the relationship between the art making process and the “business of art.” I am trying to find a home for my work and am in conversation with a few curators interested in my work.

What art goals do you have for yourself? I want to continue to make art, of course, and to take ideas as far as they can go. I need to find financing to allow me to print, so I am seeking grants. It is important to have the right representation that will take me where I want to go within the gallery system, and I need to find the support from writers who can present my work to the world. I have a marketing background that keeps coming up as I consider how to put my work out there. The alternative to not getting the work out there is that it remains stored in my own storage facility unit. That is sad.

How does the city inspire or affect your artwork? The urban landscape provides an environment that is exciting when it comes to the challenge of carving out an empty space amidst all its activity. I am turned on by the city’s contemporary high rises, night-lights, reflective glass and steel beams. It is the lines of its buildings’ external frames that speak to me strongly. Though the city holds lots of memories for me and is a good kick-start when I am seeking out how to express a new psychological connection to a public place.

Do you have a favorite gallery in San Francisco? I have two; of course my allegiance is with SFCamerawork because of its educational programs such as First Exposures that provides opportunities for the city’s youth, for its lecture series, workshops, support, and promotion of the emerging and mid-career art photographers. I also love Intersection for the Arts, mixed media venues and alternative gallery for many of the same reasons. Each of these non-profit organizations owes their success to their dedicated curators and directors who are very committed to the development of the artists and their art practices.

Where can you be found when you’re just out and about in the city? It depends on my mood; the Mission district is electric and very exciting because of its busy-ness, filled with new art venues and fun casual restaurants. One of my favorites is a crepe restaurant located on 15th. But, basically, I am an uptown girl; I can’t seem to get away from the waterfront by the Bay Bridge, SFMOMA area. I enjoy the outdoor cafes for long conversations with friends on warm days. There is a row of places down by the Java House I frequent often. That is where I photographed “seaport” in my “Intimate Immensity” series.

What do you think the average visitor to San Francisco should know about the art scene here? San Francisco’s art scene overall feels provincial, and I don’t believe the private collectors share their collections with the community enough. However, it is a city that is a wonderful launching pad for the emerging artist, and there are a lot of alternative non-profit organizations with galleries who have some wonderful programs. For the visiting collector, this might translate into a good way to invest in art by speculating on the maturation of an artist. Another advantage is that the emerging artists are closer to their roots of study and bring with them fresh points of view that makes for exciting work.

What advice do you have for the emerging artist? I am not one to really give advice on this since I am just seeking out the answers myself; I barely have defined my questions. However, my instincts tell me that it is important to remember that there is enough room for us all, even though it is a highly competitive business. I suspect we should get right sized about the business of art, just keep showing up, presenting work and supporting our friends in the community, teaching others our craft couldn’t hurt. But, mostly, I think we just have to keep making work no matter what!

What is one other thing that you think we should know about your work? I would like people to know that the work is not strictly about architecture. Even though I have said that it can be seen that way. I guess if that is what is believed, I have not done my job. With each series of my work, I have distinct perspectives that I have chosen to push a psychological point of view; scale and media decisions, such as color versus black and white, type of paper or printing process and mounting materials with or without framing. The results are not accidents. I choose the materials carefully. My photographs can be considered objects I guess.