Vladimir Frumin, I am American

These images contrast people from different countries, backgrounds and intellectual levels that now call America home. The people are shown with and without clothes to emphasize that despite their common humanity, they are more different, than the same. Clothes convey a message about who we are, and create certain stereotypes, and that is not what these images are about. Without clothes, the viewer is only left face-to-face with another human. These images are a visual expression of the common saying that “one size does not fit all”. The viewer is engaged to accept that these are Americans, as they have labeled themselves, tempting a familiarity and commonality between the viewer and the person in the image. It is commonly said that America is a “melting pot”, but this is true only to a degree. Yet, as each person and the objects with which they engage are different, the viewer needs to accept and tolerate differences as we do daily, because we are, after all, all Americans. But we also exist in a world community demonstrated by the visual differences in these people; but this “I am American” portfolio focuses only on the American people and our society. So the viewer‘s dialogue may be totally different if the viewer is not an American.