Creative Director
Model
Photographer
Shot on Film
Indesign
Spring 2023
The bittersweet experience of losing one's most cherished possessions.
Background
This series of photographs is a journey through the bittersweet experience of losing one's most cherished possessions. For women, jewelry not only symbolizes wealth and beauty, but the sentiments passed down through generations. However, the acquisition and presentation of such pieces by the governing institutions of art has historically been a practice of commodification. Often, the acquisition process involves the exploitation of the intended subject, leaving the deceased stripped of their prized possessions, further perpetuating the exploitative nature of museum practices.
As a woman, I have been objectified in many numerous forms to fit the image of a piece of furniture, art, a doll. Yet, through this collection of images, I have become the institution and the acquired jewelry. My aim is to convey the intricate process of acquiring and presenting art by stepping into the role of curator for a new jewelry exhibition. In doing so, I become not only the curator but also the physical embodiment of the emotional associations that jewelry represents.
To play with the flatness of the image the use of double exposure and photoshop was used to highlight the practice of concealing, especially in the context of museum acquisition. Jewelry and art are more than just decorative accessories they are modes of communication and this visual journey serves as a reminder of the significance of personal connections in the art world.
Precedence
Cindy Sherman “Untitled Film Stills” 1977-1980
Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills serve as a foundation for this project, providing a framework for exploring identity, objectification, and narrative through photography. Sherman’s work interrogates the ways women are portrayed and consumed in visual culture, presenting herself as both subject and constructed image. Similarly, in Chromatic Inheritance, I step into roles that challenge the boundaries between object and observer, model and curator, highlighting the complex dynamics surrounding jewelry as both personal artifact and commodified art object.
Sherman's influence is evident in the careful staging, performative poses, and cinematic qualities of my images, which create a dialogue between the gaze of the museum, the wearer of the jewelry, and the emotions embedded within these inherited objects. By referencing Sherman, I aim to reframe the power structures of display and acquisition, asserting control over my representation while emphasizing the intimate and generational significance of these pieces.
Images
While each image in this series can function as a standalone photograph, they are intended to be experienced collectively in a collage format, emphasizing the layered and interconnected nature of the institution. The composition highlights how the traces of commerce and acquisition...“fingerprints of sales”...are embedded within art itself, reflecting the ways high art is elevated through market forces. The recurring motif of landline cords throughout the images gestures toward a subtler, symbolic network, connecting notions of buying power, communication, and female voices. Through this arrangement, the work not only critiques the structural forces that shape value and visibility in the art world but also foregrounds the intimate, generational, and personal resonances that jewelry and inheritance carry.
The model is dressed in a Chloe SS 2008 blouse, Jil Sander skirt, and Prada Sport Mary Janes.
Open Hours
Closing in 10
Inheritance
Heavenly Body
After Hours