Some of our past articles may not have images. Click here to see those that do.

Zhang Jingna’s Photographs of Fairytale-esque Beauties

The women in Zhang Jingna's photographs look so pristine that at a first glance, they appear painted. The New York-based artist styles them in flowing, ruffled gowns and adorns them with flowers and jewels.

The women in Zhang Jingna’s photographs look so pristine that at a first glance, they appear painted. The New York-based artist styles them in flowing, ruffled gowns and adorns them with flowers and jewels.

Her models pose in ways that evoke classic female characters from different eras. One woman lies with flowers scattered about her like Shakespeare’s Ophelia did as she drowned in the river. Another evokes a Catholic saint, poised, long-necked, and dressed in white with a thin halo framing her head. Zhang’s characters languish in a romanticized melancholia that adds enigma to their physical beauty.

Zhang is currently featured in the group show “Your Favorite Artist’s Favorite Artist,” on view at Joshua Liner Gallery through December 20.

Topics

Photography, Zhang Jingna

Photography, Portraiture, Romina Ressia

July 7, 2014

Argentinian photographer Romina Ressia shoots disorienting portraits, playing with textiles and props to adorn her sitters and their environments. Her recent series, "Renaissance Cubism," is Ressia's mash-up of two art historical eras that highly influence her work. She clothes her subjects in the austere black and white costuming of male nobility in the age of Velasquez. But a few seemingly simple placements of props and digital edits make these photographs the stuff of dreams. One character's wig faces the front and obscures her face, suggesting her head has revolved 180 degrees. Meanwhile, another character wears a box on her head, the opening for her eye moved slightly to the right to complicate the harmonious proportions of her face. In Ressia's "What Do You Hide?" series, the artist plays with the idea of the mask as a metaphor for the different roles we play, camouflaging the characters' costumes with their backgrounds. Take a look at some of her work after the jump.

Negar Farajiani Creates Puzzles from Self-Portraits

Negar Farajiani, nostalgia, Photography, puzzle

September 21, 2015

Iranian artist Negar Farajiani uses her own self-portrait in a series of puzzles, where she distorts, hides, and reveals her physical appearance and identity. To make the puzzles, Faraijani cuts identical jigsaw pieces from dry mounted photographs. She then reassembles the pieces to create new, slightly chaotic and impractical compositions.

Michael Massaia’s Nostalgic Photographs of Melted Icream

Michael Massaia, Photography

April 22, 2015

As a kid, dropping your ice cream on the sidewalk was a moment of bitter disappointment. Michael Massaia makes us remember this childlike feeling of sadness with his photographs of melted ice cream — a feeling that you know is petty yet still breaks your heart. The artist simply places popsicles on black plexiglass and watches them melt over time. The original shape of a Spiderman or Spongebob pop turns into a swirling, oil slick-like pattern of pastel colors. The melted sweets evoke a nostalgic longing for carefree summers on the playground. Ice cream pops, something we hadn't previously given much thought to, turn out to be a pretty powerful sensory symbol.

Photographer Karen Jerzyk’s Surreal Scenes Offer Open Narratives

Karen Jerzyk, Photography, surrealism

July 27, 2017

Photographer Karen Jerzyk creates surreal works that use often overlooked spaces and themes of both horror and the fantastic. Despite what seems like a complex narrative in each piece, the artist insists that each photo is open to interpretation. She simply aims to invoke “thought and emotion.”

Zhang Jingna’s Photographs of Fairytale-esque Beauties

Uncanny Photographic Portraits by Romina Ressia

Negar Farajiani Creates Puzzles from Self-Portraits

Michael Massaia’s Nostalgic Photographs of Melted Icream

Photographer Karen Jerzyk’s Surreal Scenes Offer Open Narratives

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List

Follow us on our social networks

Shop

Subscribe

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List