“Though forward-looking, her work reveals a deep awareness, both intellectual and sensory, of how the body has been represented over time and across cultures… her [art] refuse to fit smoothly into an historical arc; instead, each body comes forward, autonomous, voluminous, and always refusing to hide.” —Gagosian
Blessing and a Curse
BFA Candidate Solo Exhibition 2022
Jonna Alberta, ‘20XX,’
Digital Images and Mixed Media Collage Installation
On view at The College of New Jersey 2023 Senior BFA Exhibition, Patchwork, May 6 - May 19, 2023.
Jonna Alberta, ‘God Only Knows’, Digital Image and Print 16x20/Live Projection, 2022
God Only Knows is the highlight image from a collection of narrative photographs that discuss the struggles one has within themselves. It was extremely important to me as the creative director of this shoot to use myself as the model in order to pay respect to the images’ purpose. At one point or another in everyone’s lives they feel trapped, but the only person who is holding them hostage is themselves. Whether it be a traumatic event, mental health struggles, or simply a bad day, we all experience internal struggles that are ours to figure out on our own. No one can tell you how to feel, and no one can permanently make you feel better, it is your responsibility to pull yourself from the darkness. By covering the windows with pillows, I am able to hint that the light on the other side still exists and you can find it, it is just slightly buried for the time being. My wrists are handcuffed together and I may seem helpless but what the audience might not notice is there is a small key to the cuffs on the ground. It is possible to heal and be free from your mind's prison, but you need the energy and the drive to pick yourself up before succumbing to the gloom. God Only Knows received its title simply through the meaning of the phrase. Growing up, I would always say “God only knows” when I was dealing with something internally that my friends or family couldn’t comprehend.
Jonna Alberta, ‘Give Your All,’ Digital Images and Print Triptych 35x52.5”, 30x20”, 30x20,” 2022.
Give Your All is a large format triptych that tells a story of its own. The narrative addresses the question of how you help others without losing a piece of yourself. When you care enough about a person, whether that be a friend, relative, or significant other, your sanity is faulted. You may forget right and wrong when you see those people of importance, in pain. Give Your All introduces the concept of giving a piece of yourself to complete someone else, knowing that it won’t be returned to you. While the imagery is fictional, and gory it forces you to border the line of comfort. The flow of the triptych takes you through each physical step of providing for another, until you are left to recognize what you have done. It is honorable to selflessly provide for others, however you establish your impending decay by accepting the fate of never receiving anything in return. The first photograph in the triptych is the image of a girl showing concern for the male figure who is missing a piece of his cheek. He seems to be paying her no mind, while her body language expresses sympathy and care. The second photograph shows the process of the female sewing a piece of her cheek onto his to make him whole once again. This act of kindness, however, leaves her with nothing but a piece of her cheek now gone, which is shown through the last image. The male is standing in the background blurred out of focus on his phone, not giving a care in the world for the sacrifice the girl just made for him. My goal for this project was to create jarring images that will stick with you. In my experience, it is rare that special effects prosthetics are used in such a way to tell a fine art narrative as opposed to simply being used for gore or costume makeup. I was eager to explore a new realm of fictional storytelling with important messages. This project has stimulated my creative process more than it has in the entirety of this semester, therefore I look forward to the expansion and development of this theme and imagery as well.
Photography III
Dear my Future Daughter
2022 Photobook Final Project
Created with Adobe InDesign and published through MagCloud.
Shown above are select pages: 1-4, and 26-27.
Project 3 Narrative Series, 2022
Project 2 Narrative Diptych, 2022