Jen Davis is a Brooklyn based photographer. For the past eleven years she has been working
on a series of Self-Portrait’s dealing with issues regarding beauty, identity, and body image.
She has also been exploring men, as a subject and is interested in investigating the idea
of relationships, both physical and psychological, with the camera. She received her MFA
from Yale University in 2008, and her BA from Columbia College Chicago in 2002.
SELF- PORTRAITS
In this body of work, Jen Davis deals with the conflicts between self-perception and the way one is perceived by others.Through the act of photographing a mix of personal experience and fantasies about intimacy, love and desire, she invites the viewer into her private world. This makes Self-Portraits and observation of her own story, a life-long struggle with the concept of beauty and identity. It is an intimate exploration of her vulnerabilities in the face of society that dictates beauty based on one’s physical appearance.
I was drawn to Davis’s work because she tells a narrative in each of her images. In each of her shots they are very different even though it’s based on herself. For example the image captioned – Untitled No.29. It’s an image of Davis in the shower. But it’s more than just an image of her in the shower , you can actually see her emotion. Which is oblivious that she is low, not happy in her own skin and probably overthinking. I personally love how she documents her life (morning routine) because I could personally relate how it could be a struggle to love yourself or find your own identity due to society and the media.
go in depth about one image. photographic terms intended.
Vernesha Photography 