Artist Statement

 

Jerzy Ellanna is a Fine Art and Portrait photographer, born and raised in Alaska and currently based in Dickinson, ND. She is a recent graduate of University of Alaska Fairbanks with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography and a concentration in ceramics. 

 

Her personal work has been primarily focused on the nude form, where she explores the beauty of form, anonymity, and the inherent societal context of nudity. She is interested in the body as a form, the shapes created in the way humans move, and the lines our bodies create as a whole. Her work presented in this exhibition is a reiteration of her thesis exhibition - “Beyond Bodies: Visions of Form”, which had an ethereal and otherworldly feel meant to create a sense of calm and comfort, challenging the viewers inherent negative attitudes towards nudity. Her new iteration will explore the possibilities of beauty and shape within a black and white landscape. 

 

The nude form is vulnerable, while viewing  a barrier is broken, and a sense of trust and freedom remain. Jerzy hopes the audience connects with this vulnerability, to imagine themselves in their purest form, and allow themselves to be as empowered by the nude form.