May 9 - June 21, 2009

Jennifer Long, from the series Swallowing Ice, 2009. Archival Inkjet prints. Courtesy Leo Kamen Gallery.

Swallowing Ice

Jennifer Long

Swallowing Ice presents a mixture of silhouetted photographs and videos, which explore the complexities of a woman's decision to have or not have children. Within this personal debate, anxiety, doubt and ambivalence are on the forefront of the conversation. For many women, fear is a deterrent in committing to a decision — fear of making the wrong choice, timing, pain, or the unknown. Unease freezes them in a circular debate, one without any solid answers.

My artwork parallels my life experiences, and as a woman in my mid-thirties, I currently find myself surrounded by discussions of parenthood. Conversations with friends rarely get 10 minutes in before the topic is raised. Originally the dialogues focused on fear and debate, but quickly turned to expectations, techniques and experiences. Between 2007 and 2008, I had seven close friends give birth, two desperately trying to conceive, and a remaining group feeling overwhelmed and confused by this incredible shift. This experience inspired the creation of Swallowing Ice, an exploration of the decision-making process involved in a woman’s choice to have or not have children.

Throughout the black and white prints and videos, a complex deliberation filled with anxiety, doubt and ambivalence is exposed. The individuals within the works are silhouetted and encircled by a thin oval frame. The head and shoulders compositions turn from profile to straight on, are mirrored to face themselves, or fade into a light grey — each print created to suggest a private or inner conversation. To further this connection, I have applied text to select images, which express fear of change, loss of self and concerns of regret. They weigh the unknown against the known — an impossible task.

Part of
13^th CONTACT Toronto Photography Festival
May 1 – 31, 2009

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