About
NATASHA CARUANA
Married Man and other stories
2 February 23 March 2012
Launch Party: 6.30 9.00pm, Thursday 1 February 2011
Photofusion is pleased to present the first solo show of photographic artist Natasha Caruana. Caruanaà¼s
work is grounded in research, drawing from archives, the Internet and personal narratives. The
exhibition will show four bodies of work, The Other Woman, The Clandestine Purse, Married Man, and
the more recent Fairytale for Sale.
The Other Woman is a series of photographs, which explores the range of stories and the diversity of
women who have experienced affairs with married men. Inspired by a personal experience, Caruana set
out to meet and document the experiences of women to find out how they felt about being the à»Other
Womanà¼. The resulting work questions the secretiveness and unease felt by the majority of women in
that situation. Many continue with their relationships, some recognising it is a à»half-lifeà¼; others enjoy the
risqué adventure of their liaisons, whilst many have ended their relationships no longer willing to deal
with the emotional instability.
Married Man is a series of photographs documenting occasions when the photographer arranged a total
of eighty dates through a series of dating websites designed for married men to conduct affairs. Each
man was photographed so that their identity would be concealed, and in addition Caruana recorded the
conversations secretly, using a digital recorder hidden in a red purse. The artist questions the men as to
why they are willing to put their legally binding relationships at risk, while also questioning what an
artistà¼s ethical responsibilities should be. The Clandestine Purse accompanies this work, created in
response to the Married Man series. The single image depicts the secret of the hidden sound recorder
and motives behind the menà¼s affairs.
Fairytale for Sale is Caruanaà¼s latest work, which is a collection of online adverts of brides wearing
redundant wedding dresses. The smiling faces of the bride, groom and their entourages༠are blocked
out in white, cloned over, smothered in blue tac or scratched off in a bid to disguise and make
anonymous their private day now in the public arena. What remains are bizarre theatres of marriage;
white-faced performers have taken to the stage and act out emblematic scenes. Words punctuate the
images, leading us to understand that the brides are discarding their wedding dresses sold for money to
de-clutter the wardrobe, make space for births or in some cases because the dresses are now tainted
with divorce.
Members༠Event
Speed Meet for Photographers, hosted by Natasha Caruana
Thursday 9 February, 7pm
Tickets - £5, including a free drink. Only 20 places available.
A Valentine Special - This event is a key networking event for all photographers who would like
feedback on a completed project or body of work. Based on the idea of speed dating, each
photographer will have the opportunity show their work to a member of the photography industry for
three minutes only, before moving on to the next reviewer. A great way to meet people and gain as
much feedback as possible in a very short time!
For further information and a press pack, please call 020 7738 5774 or email gallery@photofusion.org
Gallery opening times: Tuesday Saturday 11am 5pm. Thursday 11am - 7pm Free admission. Lift access.
