Kristen Joy Emack
We are so very happy to to feature the works of Kristen Joy Emack . Kristen is an acclaimed photographer whose work explores themes of identity, kinship, and the quiet power of everyday moments. A 2022 Guggenheim Fellow, she has also been recognized with fellowships from MacDowell, Saint Botolph, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Her evocative imagery has been exhibited both nationally and internationally, and featured in prominent publications such as Vogue Italia, National Geographic, Black + White Photography, OATH, and The Horn Book.
Kristen's photographs invite viewers into intimate worlds, often centered around familial bonds and childhood. Her first photobook, Cousins, published by L’Artiere in Italy, is a striking testament to this sensibility. Her work is held in esteemed private and institutional collections across the U.S. and Europe, and she has shared her insights as a lecturer at leading universities including Harvard, Hofstra, UVA, Emerson, and Boston University.
Cousins
Over the span of more than a decade, Kristen Joy Emack photographed her daughter and nieces, creating an intimate and enduring portrait of girlhood, kinship, and quiet power. At the heart of this body of work is a belief in the sacredness of girlhood the gravitational pull of young girls’ confident relationships with themselves, their world, and each other.
In Cousins, Emack captures a communion between the girls that is both ordinary and extraordinary rooted in everyday life yet illuminated by an emotional and spiritual depth. The project reflects love and legacy, built collaboratively and organically over time. It is as much a document of childhood as it is a celebration of the girls’ bond, and Emack hopes that, in looking back, they will see themselves clearly: beautiful, devoted, and held in light.
As the girls matured, their understanding of the project evolved. Their growing awareness of identity, race, and representation brought a new layer of dialogue to the process. Together, they recognized the significance of contributing to a visual narrative that resists stereotype and trend a representation of Black and Brown girlhood that is nuanced, authentic, and self-defined.
Steven J. Duede, Visual Artist, Aspect Principal
There’s something sacred about the lives of girls, and their innocent, confident relationships to themselves, their world and one another is gravitational.
I photographed 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 aimed 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. 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 agreed that they wanted the project to continue – they wanted to have a visual presence.
-Kristen
Kristen Joy Emack
Kristen Joy Emack
Kristen Joy Emack is a 2022 Guggenheim Fellow, a MacDowell Fellow, a Saint Botolph Fellow and a Massachusetts Cultural Arts Fellow. Her work has been shown across the United States and internationally and has been published in magazines including Vogue Italia, Nat Geo, Black + White Photography, OATH and The Horn Book. She has lectured at multiple universities including Harvard, Hofstra, UVA, Emerson and Boston University. Her work has been acquired by institutions and private collectors in the US and Europe. Cousins, Kristen’s first photobook, was published in Italy by L’artiere.
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