Conceptual photography

Conceptual photography is a type of photography that illustrates an idea. There have been illustrative photographs made since the medium's invention, for example in the earliest staged photographs, such as Hippolyte Bayard's Self Portrait as a Drowned Man (1840). However, the term conceptual photography derives from conceptual art, a movement of the late 1960s. Today the term is used to describe either a methodology or a genre.

Hippolyte Bayard: Self Portrait as a Drowned Man (1840)

A conceptual photograph illustrating integration

History

Conceptual photography emerged in the 1960s as part of the broader conceptual art movement, in which the idea behind the artwork took precedence over its formal or aesthetic qualities. Influenced by performance art, minimalism, and the rise of mass media, conceptual photographers began using the camera as a tool to document actions, convey abstract ideas, or deconstruct visual norms.^[1]

Early pioneers included artists such as John Hilliard, Douglas Huebler, and Bernd and Hilla Becher, who explored repetition, typologies, and seriality in their works.^[2] At the same time, female photographers like Cindy Sherman and Martha Rosler began using staged photography and appropriation techniques to critique gender roles, media representations, and political structures.^[3]

In the 1990s and 2000s, conceptual photography expanded globally and blended with other genres such as performance, video, and digital art. Contemporary practitioners often combine highly composed imagery with philosophical or narrative content, addressing issues such as identity, memory, surveillance, and institutional power.

Conceptual photography as a methodology

As a methodology conceptual photography is a type of photography that is staged to represent an idea. The 'concept' is both preconceived and, if successful, understandable in the completed image. It is most often seen in advertising and illustration where the picture may reiterate a headline or catchphrase that accompanies it. Photographic advertising and illustration commonly derive from stock photography, which is often produced in response to current trends in image usage as determined by the research of picture agencies like Getty Images or Corbis. These photographs are therefore produced to visualize a predetermined concept. The advent of picture editing software like Adobe Photoshop has allowed the greater manipulation of images to seamlessly combine elements that previously it would only have been possible to combine in graphic illustration.

Conceptual photography as a genre

The term 'conceptual photography' used to describe a genre may refer to the use of photography in conceptual art or in contemporary art photography. In either case, the term is not widely used or consistently applied.

Conceptual photography and conceptual art

Conceptual art of the late 1960s and early 1970s often involved photography to document performances, ephemeral sculpture or actions. The artists did not describe themselves as photographers, for example Edward Ruscha said "Photography's just a playground for me. I'm not a photographer at all."^[4] These artists are sometimes referred to as conceptual photographers but those who used photography extensively such as John Hilliard and John Baldessari and Payam-e-Azadi are more often described as photoconceptualists^[5] or "artists using photography".

Conceptual photography and fine-art photography

Since the 1970s artists using photography like Cindy Sherman and latterly Thomas Ruff and Thomas Demand have been described as conceptual. Although their work does not generally resemble the lo-fi aesthetic of 1960s conceptual art they may use certain methods in common such as documenting performance (Sherman), typological or serial imagery (Ruff) or the restaging of events (Demand). In fact the indebtedness to these and other approaches from conceptual art is so widespread in contemporary fine-art photography that almost any work might be described as conceptual. The term has perhaps been used most specifically in a negative sense to distinguish some contemporary art photography from documentary photography or photojournalism. This distinction has been made in the coverage of the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize.^[6] Conceptual photography is often used interchangeably with fine-art photography, and there has been some dispute about whether there is a difference between the two. However, the central school of thought is that conceptual photography is a type of fine-art photography.^[7] Fine art photography is inclusive of conceptual photography. While all conceptual photography is fine art, not all fine art is conceptual.^[8]

Notable conceptual photographers

Several influential artists have contributed significantly to the field of conceptual photography since the 1960s. These photographers often use the medium to question visual culture, explore philosophical ideas, or critique societal norms.

Prominent conceptual photographers include:

• John Hilliard
• Bernd and Hilla Becher
• Douglas Huebler
• Ed Ruscha
• Sophie Calle
• Cindy Sherman
• Martha Rosler
• Sherrie Levine
• Duane Michals
• Barbara Kruger
• Gillian Wearing
• Joachim Schmid
• Jenny Holzer
• Lorna Simpson
• Wolfgang Tillmans

These artists have worked across various conceptual themes including identity, authorship, media critique, gender politics, and institutional frameworks.^[9][10][11]