Not currently on display at the V&A

United States of America

Photograph
2002 (photographed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Having spent years developing contacts in the secretive global security industry, the British photographer Christopher Stewart travelled the world to document its agents at work. The resulting images are psychologically charged, with an intriguingly elusive narrative. They recall scenes from thrillers or gangster films, yet hint at contemporary issues of instability, security and surveillance. As a critic recently commented, they make us ‘hover, undecided, between the “observational” mode of documentary and the “point of view” shot of drama’.

This image shows a man looking out of a window through Venetian blinds. The muted table lamp and telephone suggest that the setting is a hotel room but there is no clue as to where in the world this might be. The viewer is kept in the dark as to what lies beyond the window, seeing only small shafts of light through the blinds. Our alienation from the scene is compounded further as we glimpse only the side of the agent’s face.


Object details

Category
Object type
Titles
  • United States of America (assigned by artist)
  • Insecurity (series title)
Materials and techniques
C-type print
Brief description
'Untitled, United States of America', 2002 from the series 'Insecurity' by Christopher Stewart (born London 1966)
Physical description
Colour photograph of a man peeping through closed venetian blinds on a window.
Dimensions
  • Frame height: 122cm
  • Frame width: 154.4cm
  • Image height: 102cm
  • Image width: 133cm
Gallery label
Having spent years developing contacts in the secretive global security industry, the British photographer Christopher Stewart travelled the world to document its agents at work. The resulting images are psychologically charged, with an intriguingly elusive narrative. They recall scenes from thrillers or gangster films, yet hint at contemporary issues of instability, security and surveillance. As a critic recently commented, they make us ‘hover, undecided, between the “observational” mode of documentary and the “point of view” shot of drama’.(20/02/2006)
Credit line
Purchased through the Cecil Beaton Royalties Fund
Subject depicted
Summary
Having spent years developing contacts in the secretive global security industry, the British photographer Christopher Stewart travelled the world to document its agents at work. The resulting images are psychologically charged, with an intriguingly elusive narrative. They recall scenes from thrillers or gangster films, yet hint at contemporary issues of instability, security and surveillance. As a critic recently commented, they make us ‘hover, undecided, between the “observational” mode of documentary and the “point of view” shot of drama’.

This image shows a man looking out of a window through Venetian blinds. The muted table lamp and telephone suggest that the setting is a hotel room but there is no clue as to where in the world this might be. The viewer is kept in the dark as to what lies beyond the window, seeing only small shafts of light through the blinds. Our alienation from the scene is compounded further as we glimpse only the side of the agent’s face.
Collection
Accession number
E.3564-2004

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Record createdAugust 18, 2004
Record URL
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