March 07, 2025 | Read Online

📸 Artist Peels Back the Mask to Explore the Layers of Self

ON FEATURE SHOOT

Artist Peels Back the Mask to Explore the Layers of Self

Whenever I look at this work by photographer Monika Chabicovsky, the line from the song New York Cares by Interpol plays in my brain: "I had seven faces. Thought I knew which one to wear."

The song is melancholy and deals with the struggles of living authentically in New York City. In contrast, in Chabicovsky's series entitled "The Two Sides of the Truth," I take away an inspiring call to explore.

By day, Chabicovsky is a toxicologist working as a consultant for the biotech industry. In this work, she portrays her struggle with the rational side of self (work, work, work) vs. the creative/fine art photographer side that wants to play. The struggle is real, even if some of us do not know we are engaged with it.

If you're familiar with Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung and his theories of "persona" and "individuation," this series and interview will seem very relatable.

Like Chabicovsky, Jung also struggled with play. In his memoir "Memories, Dreams, Reflections," he writes that he only gave in to play after "endless resistances" and with "a sense of recognition." He says: "For it was a painfully humiliating experience to realise that there was nothing to be done except play childish games."

Read the interview on Feature Shoot.

Annie Leibovitz, Keynote Speaker 2025

Ghost Ranch Photo Week

Experience the beauty of Ghost Ranch during Photo Week—a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the art of photography surrounded by the same breathtaking scenery that captivated artist Georgia O'Keeffe. From April 27 through May 4, 2025, participants will have the chance to capture the vibrant desert colors, towering cliffs, and expansive skies of northern New Mexico. Workshops led by professional photographers provide the perfect blend of hands-on learning and artistic exploration.

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©Ricardo Lopes

'Blessed Ground' by Ricardo Lopes

'Blessed Ground' is an ongoing photographic essay about the consequences of international gold mining projects in the vicinity of rural communities along the shores of the rivers Púnguè and Revué in Mozambique. Having seen their lands rendered barren by the excavation processes, the community turned to artisanal gold mining, panning among the sediments left behind by these companies. This shift has transformed the community's livelihood, now reliant on money rather than agriculture, despite the lack of job opportunities and the companies neglect to provide restitution to the communities they impact. Their presence not only exacerbates existing poverty in the region but it's also weakening its social fabric, contributing to problems such as alcoholism and increasing the vulnerability of women to gender-based violence and prostitution."—Ricardo Lopes, photographer.

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©Thomas Vijayan. Austfonna Ice Cap.

©Melanie Müller. Yin Yang.

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