Small Families

photographer Mare Milin
written by Želimir Koščević

 

The contemporary issue of redefining the photographic image is not only a matter of semiotics- and hermeneutics-based theoretical discussion and criticism; it has increasingly been receiving creative contributions from numerous photographers, who have realized that photography is not a separate media area, but a part of general visual culture, one that sees and interprets reality in its own particular way. Although theory and critical practice are well-armed with arguments, citing references ranging from ancient Greek philosophers to renowned classical and contemporary semioticians, the argument of the image will always make careful interpreters stop and reconsider, never being absolutely sure of its true nature. For this reason, a return to the source, a renewal of thinking about the image based on images themselves, is perceived as a necessity. What is more, while an image can always exist by itself, theories and criticisms without images are just scribbles that usually disappear without a trace.