Jordanna Kalman: Little Romances

Jordanna Kalman: Little Romances by Aline SmithsonApril 30, 2019

©Jordana Kalman

Jordana Kalman’s exquisite project Little Romances seems to be everywhere–she was a 2018 Critical Mass Top 50 winner, the series has been in numerous exhibitions and publications, and now it will be a monograph under the same title, published by Daylight Books. Jordana has created layered and performative self portraits and still lifes that speak to the female form when it is simply seen for it’s poetic beauty, devoid of sexuality and presented with a female gaze. Little Romances is also meant to describe the complexities and anxieties of womanhood.

In order to raise funds for her monograph which includes an essay by essay by Jennifer Murray, Jordana has created a Kickstarter campaign that I hope you consider supporting to make the book a reality.

This series evolved out of my interest in treating photographs as objects and also as a response to having the work that I would post online being equated with pornography. Often, the interpretation of an image of a nude woman is sexual.

By incorporating the image into a still life, building dimensional layers and distancing the original image from the viewer, I hope to shift this sexual evaluation into a more comprehensive, thoughtful understanding. Overall, Little Romances is meant to describe the complexities and anxieties of womanhood.

I use natural materials to augment the images, working with live subjects brings an energy into the frame. I also work in the early morning sunlight which is fleeting, and this adds another layer of immediacy to the work. These time-based elements emulate the intensity of a woman’s workload.

©Jordanna Kalman

Jordanna Kalman lives and works in NY. Her work explores loneliness, femininity and individuality. She received her MA in photography from the London College of Communication and her BFA in photography from Purchase College. Jordanna has had her work shown nationally, internationally and online. In addition to her practice she runs the online photography gallery Streit House Space and the Instagram residency program Streit Lab. She works on many different things very slowly all at once.