A month or so ago, I was lucky enough to get a chance to consider portfolios in the John Chervinsky Emerging Photographer Scholarship, along with other esteemed jurors: Christa Dix from Wallspace Creative, Frazier King from the Houston Center of Photography, and Laura Moya from Photolucida. There were many wonderful offerings and ultimately, after much discussion, we selected the work of Jennifer Georgescu to receive this meaningful award.

The judges said about our selection, “Jennifer Georgescu takes complex issues of humanity – motherhood, identity, legacy, mortality, fragility, insignificance – and spins a rich visual narrative that reassures us that we are not alone in figuring these things out. Jennifer’s work shows us she is serious about her photography career, her potential for future growth is evident and we believe this scholarship will assist her in further stretching her imagination.”

Photographer John Chervinsky, whose work explored the concept of time, passed away in December of 2015, following a typically resolute battle with pancreatic cancer. The modesty and unassuming character John conveyed in life belies the extent to which he will be missed, not only by his family and friends, but also by the entire photographic community of which he was so proud to be a part.

The John Chervinsky Emerging Photographer Scholarship seeks to recognize, encourage and reward photographers with the potential to create a body of work and sustain solo exhibitions. Awarded annually, the Scholarship provides recipients with a monetary award of $3,000, exhibition of their work at the Griffin Museum of Photography, and a volume from John’s personal library of photography books. The Scholarship seeks to provide a watershed moment in the professional lives of emerging photographers, providing them with the support and encouragement necessary to develop, articulate and grow their own vision for photography.

Jennifer Georgescu’s work describes instinctual aspects of humanity correlating to and differing from societal structuring.  With a background in painting and photographic arts, she utilizes medium format film photography, installation, and digital technology.  Her projects analyze dualisms in language, relationships, mythologies and control.  “I often search for the balance that exists in between these dichotomies.  This is how I view humanity; always teetering on the line between fiction and reality, domination and submissiveness, self and other.”

Georgescu is based out of San Diego, CA. Recent exhibitions include the Griffin Museum of Photography, the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, and the Center for Fine Art Photography.

Mother Series

Motherhood has the power to transform one’s sense of identity.   It is a true incidence of blurring the line between self and other.  Children must learn to realize that they are separate and the mother must learn to let go; to realize that her child is their own person.

It is a brutal and endearing task to raise a child.  I wake numerous times throughout the night existing in a somewhat catatonic state.  In the wee hours, my thoughts tend to go in unusual directions to occupy my mind while my body is occupied with feedings.

During the day I am in a mist; trying to scramble up some form that is me though everything has changed.  I exist in a suspended mythological state where everything else has been put on hold.   It is a place where I almost pity myself though I never want it to end. – Jennifer Georgescu

“I am a photographer who creates work based on life experiences and my inner dialogue.  I am interested in research pertaining to the human condition, relating that information to my own personal life, and having the two intermingle until they have a sense of balance.  When I  make  my pieces, I try to look at my life more objectively by seeing the ways that I am shaped by others, my insatiable fear of death , and how my inner voice has forged my sense of identity. By Working this way, I humble myself with my homogeny and allow for others to relate to my observations and experiences.

I have been turning the camera on myself for the past 20 years and it has become my way of living and interpreting the world around me.  I see the representation of myself as a place holder for the every person.  Through narrative tableaux, I transform my self-portraiture into conceptual symbolism and allow a space for my concepts to exist. When creating works about personal and sometimes tragic experiences I am able to describe myself and also relate to others through collective thought and experiences; this is the magic for me.

Through beauty, awe, and fantasy, I am able to portray topics that are difficult to discuss and invent them in new ways that are more approachable.  I see art as a way to bring metaphor and awe to our life events so that we may grow from them.  As introvert and an artist, I spend a lot of time alone practicing and reflecting.  When exhibiting my work I am always humbled to connect with others who have had my same deepest inner thoughts. I make work that reflects beauty even in difficult experiences.”