“…at once intimate, and yet laid bare for all to see. Chaus’ imagery is very much grounded in an introspective desire to delve into the real, albeit suppressed self.”
—Debra Klomp Ching, gallerist and curator
Part of a bigger journey of liberation through self-exploration, this new photobook by
Jo Ann Chaus is above all a collection of self-portraits, complemented by landscapes, still lifes and domestic interiors observed and inhabited by the photographer-cum-model.
With the women of the 1950s as her role models, and influenced by the New Color Photography movement and her background in fashion, Chaus employs dramatic colors and lighting to photograph herself — occasionally undressed but more often fancily clad in bright dresses of the era, exhibiting both strength and vulnerability.
Though deeply personal, these meticulously staged images also deal with overarching gender stereotypes, the roles women were and are often still expected to perform, from lover and muse to mother and housekeeper. After first making a picture of herself in 2013, Chaus has since used self-portraiture as a tool for self-acknowledgement and self-empowerment.
“The act of photographing was instrumental in breaking free from these gendered confines and allowing myself to become unstuck, unconstrained, and to express myself, unencumbered.”
—Jo Ann Chaus
Looking to decipher what she calls the unspoken messages of her childhood years, Chaus creates photographs filled with mystery, tension, and a touch of humor. These pictures are both an attempt to gain a long-overdue sense of agency and an homage to women who dared to break barriers.
Jo Ann Chaus
Jo Ann Chaus is a visual artist from and based in New York. She is best known for her psychological self-portrait investigations surrounding generational inheritances.
Her first career was in women’s fashion. She attended Boston University in the 1970s. As a second career, she earned two Certificates of Study from the International Center of Photography in NYC, and attended advanced workshop studies at Maine Media College.
Her recognitions include: several Critical Mass Top 50 and Top 200 appearances; Aperture Portfolio Prize finalist in 2024; 2024 Star Photobook Dummy Award finalist; and Julia Margaret Cameron Award overall winner April 2024.
Her earlier project Sweetie & Hansom (2008–2015) was self-published in 2015; Unspoken is the result of her ongoing work Conversations with Myself.
www.joannchaus.com
@joann_chaus
All About Jo Ann Chaus
Debra Klomp Ching
Debra Klomp Ching is a co-owner of Klompching Gallery in Brooklyn. She is also a freelance consultant, curator, educator, and writer, who served as a guest editor for Photography Quarterly (2010) and the commissioning editor/publisher of (re)collect – Jonathan Shaw (2006). She has been on a jury for several photography awards, including the Arnold Newman Prize (2018) and is a co-founder of the Rhonda Wilson Award and an Adjunct Faculty member of the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City.
