“Bike Jesus Graffiti and a Plzeň Tram, Dual Exposed,” from Touring Tourism, 16” x 20” C-print, 2022
Megan Bainbridge
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“Bike Jesus Graffiti and a Plzeň Tram, Dual Exposed,” is a 16" x 20" color darkroom photograph from my "Touring Tourism" series. This photo series explores my experience as a German American studying abroad throughout Europe during Summer 2022. I created it to encourage others to alter how they approach traveling. Read on to learn more about the "Touring Tourism" series and this photographic art piece.
In my "Touring Tourism" series, I explore my role as a tourist traveling from the United States to study abroad throughout Europe. I chose to photograph both recognizable attractions and lesser-known locations.
In my artist statements, I provide context to explain my thought process and experience traveling in and around Barcelona, Spain; Rome, Italy; and Prague, Czechia. I explore observed cultural differences and the habits of tourists.
The purpose of this body of work is to invite the viewer to reflect on how they travel and act as a tourist. In particular, I aim to promote the concept of ethical tourism and encourage travelers to be mindful of how their actions impact the residents of the regions that they visit. Through anecdotal narrative, I reflect on how much more enriching travel becomes when authentic connection is prioritized.
I am passionate about this topic for multiple reasons. On the academic side of things, I studied Sociology in college, obtaining a Bachelors in the subject alongside my Photography BFA. Personally, I have a dual-national lens when looking at how people from different places act. This is because I grew up navigating the difference between German cultural attitudes that my mother taught me and the societal norms of my home in the United States. In addition, I grew up in a coastal city in Southern Maine that is impacted by tourism every summer and can relate to how residents of a travel destination view tourism.
I use experimental darkroom techniques for this series, creating dual exposures by layering negatives, as well as collaging multiple 35mm negatives into the circular silhouette of the darkroom enlarger head.
With all this being said, here is the artist statement for “Bike Jesus Graffiti and a Plzeň Tram, Dual Exposed":
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My favorite location in Prague is Bike Jesus; a multifunctional space including a club, bar, and an outdoor bicycle pump track. Interestingly enough, this location is one that my Contemporary Czech Culture Professor recommended visiting.
When entering the space, you can tell that this is a welcoming meeting place for young adults that value social justice, having outdoor firepits for cooking vegetables and a mural stating “BLACK LIVES MATTER, ROMA LIVES MATTER TOO”. Something I learned while in Czechia is that there is an ethnic minority there known as the Romani people who continue to experience considerable economic and educational hardship, a group that was once targeted by the Nazis and radical social policies of the Communist era.
With the same love for graffiti and public transportation that I found in Barcelona, I layered this piece with a dual exposure of a Plzeň tram and graffiti found at Bike Jesus, creating an abstracted composition. Prague has a prolific street artist community, including the likes of Jan Kalab and Pasta Oner; it felt appropriate to include photography with Czech graffiti as a subject.
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If you felt particularly moved, inspired, or educated by this piece, consider supporting the work that I do by purchasing a print, t-shirt, sticker or magnet from the megarten.shop. My business is small, queer and woman-owned, and artist-run. Plus, all of my artwork is human-generated. You can learn more about me as an artist here.