real-life stumbleupon: Brian Finke

Yesterday, my friend and I were walking down Beverly Boulevard with the intentions of going to Milk for a delicious baked morsel. On our way, however, I spied this photo-morsel through the window of Stephen Cohen gallery, and pulled my friend in with me.

Sara, Icelandair
40" x 40" 2006

The image I saw turns out to be from a solo exhibition by artist Brian Finke. While the photograph Sara, Icelandair receives front-and-center treatment because it is the biggest and most beautiful piece (of course), there are some other beauts in the show. I found the more contemporary depictions of flight attendants less interesting than those that reflected the days of the "air hostess." The images of the more carefully groomed and uniformed women flight attendants made me think about that very strange intersection of time and circumstance in the story of feminism. Being an air hostess offered women a career and a life of traveling and independence--while on the other side of the coin they were expected to conform to the modelesque image of the ideal modern Woman. I even remember once reading in an in-flight magazine (of all places!) that air hostess positions were framed by airlines themselves as giving women the best opportunity to meet [rich] businessmen--i.e. potential husbands...