light work

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RYAN JAMES CARUTHERS

Ryan James Caruthers' series tryouts focuses on his lack of involvement in sports growing up, taking a closer look at traditional ideas of masculinity. The lighting and the contrast of his photos are reminiscent of a novel or the feeling of the nurses office at school, sitting out of PE. It feels like dull, somber, adolescence - out of place. This describes deliciously the ache for the passage to manhood, typically found in sports, and the loneliness outside of this passage.

Caruthers sees his series as a way to point out the connection between masculinity and athleticism. He went back to his middle and high school and put on the wrestling costume with his body type. Recreating the moment as what he once watched from the outside, he captures this struggle.

Ryan James Caruthers

Ryan James Caruthers

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ALEXANDRE SILBERMAN

Alexandre Silberman in a French photographer based in Paris, France who works on documentary projects. His series The Great Beauty focuses on art and its original definition as a belief in beauty as an autonomous concept. It highlights the power of the museum and the fact that art is increasingly being replaced by information. The conclusion to his series is that Beauty absorbs all, even the morally unacceptable, and rather than reprimand it- he seeks to frame it.

Alexandre's work is powerful. The lighting and composition are dark and dramatic. Compositionally it is reminiscent of the renaissance. The dim atmosphere, sharp shadows, and romantic composition tell a bitter yet intriguing story of the dystopia we have already descended into as we redefine what art is and what beauty means.

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LAURENCE PHILOMENE

Laurence Philomène is a non-binary photographer based in Canada, whose work is inspired by their experiences as a chronically ill, transgender artist. Much of their work displays that idea: "coming of age", and the experiences of a queer individual growing into themselves.

"All my projects start with me asking myself two questions: What do I want to see in the photo/art landscape that I’m not seeing? And: what story is mine to tell?" -Laurence Philomène

Something that stands out particularly in Philomene's work is the language of color and composition. The color in these photos adds to their narrative, describing the mood and atmosphere of the world Philomene sees.

In an interview with Jess T. Dugan they state:

"I think of colour as an additional visual language in my images, one that complements and adds meaning alongside the subject, composition, location etc. To me the language of colours is more about emotion than it is about fashion – though fashion also uses colour in this way. I also think on a base level, colourful things make people happy. Most of my work is about celebrating marginalized identities, so colour is a great conduit for that message."

Philomene's work feels whimsical and foreign, yet at the same time familiar and reminiscent. the messages and feelings they are able to convey are deep, and ask the viewer to reflect on their own experiences.

Laurence Philomene - photographer - Laurence Philomene

Laurence Philomene is a photographer, director and curator based in Montreal, Canada.

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LIA CLAY

“As a queer and trans-identified artist, it’s important for me to raise these stories up and create a space for diversity among mass media that is often portrayed through a cis-normative lens. ‘Trans’ or ‘queer’ might be used to identify us, but it’s not all that identifies us. Our presence belongs here, too, and as we move forward, it’s important to note that representation isn’t just about illuminating us, but including us, as well.” —Lia Clay

Lia Clay is a trans photographer who picked up her grandmother's Olympus at 17 and started taking pictures. When she started her journey she felt deeply about the representation in her work, and focused on photographic bodies often excluded from visual narratives. However, she has shifted to focus on not only representation, but context and how her work describes her as an individual.

Clay's work is intimate. It tells a story through her eye. As a matter of fact she has stated that she only accepts a job if she can see it through her lens and her eyes. Everything we see from Clay is genuine, and not only captures the subject, but her as well.

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JENNA HOUSTON

Jenna Houston is a photographer that focuses on gender studies and visual art. They grew up seeing fanned on tumblr and YouTube, leading them to have a webcam style in their video work that carried over to their photography.

“I'm a twenty-something interdisciplinary artist in Pittsburgh who spends a lot of time making multiples and installations with text, photo, and video. I'm most interested in mediums that can be democratically shared, and I am currently working on a documentary about chronic vulvar pain and taking film photos of lgbtqia+ individuals outside of performative contexts.”

Jenna’s work is fascinating because it demonstrates the queer individual outside of performative stereotypes. Jenna’s photography follows a Pittsburgh’s queer community into their homes, away from the drag and rainbows, and gives them the time and space that they are rarely afforded in their everyday lives.

The way they utilize space in their composition is intimate and inviting, as a queer artist photographing the LGBTQIA+ community - they communicate well the emotions that reside in these homes to the viewer: domestic, gentle, passionate, human.

“Recently, I’ve been documenting individuals in intimate groups from Pittsburgh’s queer community in conjunction with domestic landscapes. As developing cities push que culture away from the physical and the public, the photos examine how queerness occupies domestic space. I’m invested in the role that performativity, hair, collected objects, and community play in identity” — Jenna Houston