Jj's Artist statement:
As a (gender)queer artist, my photographs reflect my involvement/immersion in gender politics and radical queer life. I work almost exclusively in portraiture. My artistic intent is to balance aesthetics with the complex emotions of my friends and community. Through the technical aspects of my work, I explore notions of non-traditional beauty, not only in terms of photography, but also in regard to femininity, masculinity, and deviant gender presentations. Engaging in gender theory’s recognition of butch presentations and a variety of other masculinities, as well as a broad spectrum of queer femme identities, I strive to capture the non-normative gender presentations of my friends, lovers, and siblings through my employment of the medium. My work presents my queer community in domestic settings characterized by saturated, vivid colours and often discursive backgrounds. These settings are intended to raise questions regarding private queer space as a realm for the development of friendship/relationships and the expression of genders and sexualities that are marginalized within the public sphere. This project addresses aspects of my own identity and life style; in this way, these bodies of work are simultaneously accessible and very personal and introspective. I am also interested in exploring the relationship between photographer and subject. My work exposes the strong element of trust that exists between myself and my friends as subjects in each portrait. This goal underlies the intent of my artistic practice.
JJ Levine Photography
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