BLAMEWORTHY (2012)

BLAMEWORTHY arose as a response to an article that appeared in TIME in 2009: ‘25 People to Blame for the Financial Crisis’. The selection that TIME made included an eclectic company of politicians and CEOs, but also pointed an accusing finger at the public, who had eagerly participated in risky financial transactions like mortgages they could not really afford. From diverse websites Straight collected low resolution portraits of the main culprits, framed them uniformly and made them so dark that the faces can barely be seen through the blackness. The darkness reflects the shadowy nature of the actions of those involved. But, paradoxically enough, it also forces us to look more carefully, to see the guilty more clearly.