Photographer of the Week #198: Jenna Westra

Jenna Westra uses the body to reimagine The Set as a framework that activates the performers within it, transforming accidental or chance movements into intentional, choreographed actions for the camera. Taking aesthetic cues from performance documentation, her work invites the viewer to re-examine their role and active participation in image consumption.

Relying on the fundamental, immanent traits of analog photography, Westra exploits the formal elements of the medium to create delicate and subtle compositions extracted from the intentional events she creates. Her photographs suggest moments of intimacy and play, while also reminding us of the ongoing negotiation and exchange present in the acts of performing, directing, documenting.

Jenna Westra (Hunter MFA ’15) is a New York based artist working in photography and film. Recent solo exhibitions include Lubov, New York and fourseasonsberlin, Germany. In 2018 Hassla published a book of her work titled Atlas, and featured at NADA New York along with a selection of new photographs. She will present a solo exhibition at Anthony Greaney // Pictures Efface Walls in early 2019. Jenna is currently part time faculty at Parsons School for Design.