From the Editor

The world of fashion and beauty is most certainly a strange one to most people. Even those who are thrilled and enamored with the latest trends and styles often find a never-ending stream of oddities coming from designers and cosmetic companies. Unfortunately, there's also a dark side to it all - one that teaches young girls the perfection of their skin, hair, teeth, and weight are paramount in their lives. Having been on my fair share of fashion shoots for some of these companies, I can say that I've seen and heard things that are not in the best interest of any impressionable young girl. 

So when J.K. Lavin sat down at the table with me during Photolucida this year, she presented me with some work from her archive that directly addressed these issues. I've shown other work from her in the past, and her photographs often bring up topics of identity and often involve self-portraiture as the vehicle for illustrating her ideas. Her artist mind is evident in its methods and purpose, and I find her to be one of the most thoughtful photographers working in the fine art arena today. Her work is especially grounding, even when it takes on a conceptual nature. I'm realizing more and more how many of her ideas are things I've noticed yet never really spent an adequate amount of time exploring. I suppose it's the difference between noticing and seeing. Sometimes it takes a project like this for people to stand up and take notice and see what's happening around us. I'm still learning, and I love it!

–Michael Kirchoff @michaelkirchoff

IF

The world is in a state of redefinition and some of the understanding of self comes from looking backward. With my project, IF, I have revisited my photograph archive, reexamining ideas and work from another time in my life. IF considers self-identity and beauty and looks at how advertising invites comparisons. This concept parallels what is affecting teenage girls today as they seek to define themselves through social media.

When I created this performative project, I was exploring questions that examined what was making me feel inadequate and imperfect. Advertising images have always held interest for me. Fashion magazines often use larger-than-life-size images that are suggestive, intriguing, disturbing, and intimidating. They deliver a message that our body parts and/or size or type are other than what’s desirable. 

I would like to acknowledge Scott Rankin for his participation in the creation of the studio photographs.

–J. K. Lavin

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About the Artist

J. K. Lavin is an artist whose photographic practice considers memory, self-portraiture and the measurement of time. Duration, as well as experimentation with randomness and chance, is an important dimension of her work. 

Lavin received a Master's Degree of Art in Photography from California State University at Fullerton, CA. She also studied photography at The Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, New York and the  Center of the Eye in Aspen, Colorado. 

J. K. Lavin was selected as a Critical Mass Finalist in 2020 and also as a Fresh finalist by Klompching Gallery in 2019. She has had numerous solo exhibitions including The Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester MA. Her work has been included in juried exhibitions across the US and she has exhibited in Europe. Her photographs have been published in various on-line and print magazines. Lavin’s work is held in public collections.

She is based in Venice, CA. Her decision to move there years ago was based on a coin toss. 

jklavin.com

@j.k.lavin

About the author

Michael Kirchoff works in the worlds of both commercial and fine art photography. A commercial shooter for over thirty years, it is his fine art work that has set him apart from others, with instant film and toy camera images fueling several bodies of work. His consulting, training, and overall support of his fellow photographic artist continues with assistance in constructing one’s vision, reviewing portfolios, and finding exhibition opportunities, which fill the gaps in time away from active shooting. 

Michael is also an independent curator and juror, and advocate for the photographic arts. Currently, he is also Editor-in-Chief at Analog Forever Magazine, and is the Founding Editor for the online photographer interview website, Catalyst: Interviews. Previously, Michael spent over four years as Editor at BLUR magazine.