Illustrative photographs that are built in photoshop are usually not my thing. But in the case of Bea Blousson, her deft skills applied to a crucial subject wield an undeniable communicative power. Blousson made her project about the effects of the news in Argentina, before the pandemic had become the dominant global concern. Her pictures convey the feelings of that society as they wade through endless accounts of government corruption, cover-ups, and violence towards women. Two images in particular cut to the heart. In one image, men are drawn into a labyrinth of news; the hallways appear suffocatingly small, and the way out is nowhere in the frame. In another, a man hides from the news behind a black wall. He’s trying to rest, but his body language betrays fear and accumulated anxiety.

Each image in ​‘News’ is a distinct exploration of the ways in which the daily news can engulf our lives. Blousson uses diverse creative methods to make the issues visible. In a dreamlike photograph, a large article about the murder of federal prosecutor, Alberto Nisman attracts a crowd. The onlookers are drawn together towards the spectacle, as they would be to a mural at a museum. The soul-crushing news of government impunity looms large, and the people can do nothing but take it in.

Although Blousson’s pictures were made in a specific context, they have a universal resonance, especially now. They hit home for me in America, as I find myself buried in the ever-growing rubble of politics and pandemic. It’s hard to get away from the labyrinth; it can fill the whole of our mental and psychological landscape. Blousson’s project also helps me to remember that Americans are not the only ones with all-consuming political struggles.

In the final image, a city posting wall, which might have been filled with playbills or cultural events, is covered instead by page after page of political mess. A sign in the corner reads ​“When those who rule lose their shame, those who obey lose their respect.” I can read from this image that the onslaught of bad news seems to have eclipsed the space for art and culture. And I can read it another way — the person pasting the wall wants you to feel, by sheer accumulation, the gravity and shame of political transgression. It says, ​“Look away from your diversions. Focus on this, because this matters.”

- Lisa

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