Kristen Joy Emack
Cousins
Dates + Events
Gallery Walk Opening Reception: Kirsten Emack
Friday, November 1 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm
November Pictura Kids: Friendship Bracelets
Saturday, November 2 | 11:00am - 12:00pm
Kristen Joy Emack
Cousins
For the last decade, Kristen Joy Emack has been collaborating with her daughter and nieces on the photographic series, Cousins. The images they create together present a rare perspective of girlhood that is neither stereotypical nor trendy. The portraits focus on familial closeness, the development of selves, and the strong connection between cousins. The show opens at Pictura on Friday November 1st and is on view through February 1st.
I’ve been photographing my daughter and nieces for over a decade. There’s something sacred about the lives of girls, and their innocent, confident relationships to themselves, their world and one another is gravitational. Between them is an intimate and spiritual knowledge, both ordinary and extraordinary, and I aim to capture the brilliance of their communion. I hope when they look back on this work, they’ll see their beauty, and their devotion to each other, and find themselves here, in this work we made together, reflected with love.
The girls have grown up within the frame. Over time their relationship to being photographed has shifted. They became collaborators and have helped with editing, location choice, and offer feedback about where the work should travel. As they matured, and became more confident talking about race, we’ve been able to discuss the impact of contributing images to the photo world that bear witness to humanity and illuminates the need for representation that is neither stereotypical or trendy.
There are notable bodies of work about girlhood, but Cousins is unique. It chronicles the lives of girls of color, which is a perspective that still remains under-embraced. Additionally, each frame is wholly female. Angst, distraction or dating does not enter the frame. Instead it’s their connection that stays in focus, their adolescent changes are organic, subtle and unprovocative. Lastly, the girls are invested. They all agree that they want the project to continue – they want to have a visual presence.
Kristen Emack is a 2022 Guggenheim Fellow, a MacDowell Fellow,
a Mass Cultural Council Fellow, and a Saint Botolph Fellow. Her debut book, Cousins, was published in 2023 by L’Artiere.
kristenjoyemack.com
Kristen Joy Emack
Cousins
For the last decade, Kristen Joy Emack has been collaborating with her daughter and nieces on the photographic series, Cousins. The images they create together present a rare perspective of girlhood that is neither stereotypical nor trendy. The portraits focus on familial closeness, the development of selves, and the strong connection between cousins. The show opens at Pictura on Friday November 1st and is on view through February 1st.
I’ve been photographing my daughter and nieces for over a decade. There’s something sacred about the lives of girls, and their innocent, confident relationships to themselves, their world and one another is gravitational. Between them is an intimate and spiritual knowledge, both ordinary and extraordinary, and I aim to capture the brilliance of their communion. I hope when they look back on this work, they’ll see their beauty, and their devotion to each other, and find themselves here, in this work we made together, reflected with love.
The girls have grown up within the frame. Over time their relationship to being photographed has shifted. They became collaborators and have helped with editing, location choice, and offer feedback about where the work should travel. As they matured, and became more confident talking about race, we’ve been able to discuss the impact of contributing images to the photo world that bear witness to humanity and illuminates the need for representation that is neither stereotypical or trendy.
There are notable bodies of work about girlhood, but Cousins is unique. It chronicles the lives of girls of color, which is a perspective that still remains under-embraced. Additionally, each frame is wholly female. Angst, distraction or dating does not enter the frame. Instead it’s their connection that stays in focus, their adolescent changes are organic, subtle and unprovocative. Lastly, the girls are invested. They all agree that they want the project to continue – they want to have a visual presence.
Kristen Emack is a 2022 Guggenheim Fellow, a MacDowell Fellow,
a Mass Cultural Council Fellow, and a Saint Botolph Fellow. Her debut book, Cousins, was published in 2023 by L’Artiere.
kristenjoyemack.com
Dates + Events
Gallery Walk Opening Reception: Kirsten Emack
Friday, November 1 | 5:00pm - 8:00pm
November Pictura Kids: Friendship Bracelets
Saturday, November 2 | 11:00am - 12:00pm
