Lorca Peña Nissenblatt
My work concerns perspective. The changing focus between foreground and background, zooming in so deep you take a second to recognize that the seed-studded redness you see is a strawberry. One of my aspirations is to become a professional writer, but for now I type up secret stories and spend hours poring over novels or series. This same love of immersing myself in my imagination, or the imagination of others, is imparted in my photography. I’ve found myself filling each snapshot with such a strong sense of myself or my views on my subjects that I’m startled. The desire to continue understanding myself is also an inspiration, gleaned from the works of artists such as Jamel Shabazz, who wields his camera like an enchanted mirror, catching his models in its reflection and allowing them to see themselves in the light of his vision. Carrie Mae Weems, similarly, plays with the concept of using the camera as a mirror, capturing bits of her private life and immortalizing them. I have gradually learned about who I am through the lens even though it’s rarely directed at me—and isn’t that one purpose of art? To discover yourself in what you create?