In what way does Justine Kurland & Michelle Sank explore youth and femininity through their work?

For my personal study, my interpretation of nostalgia will be based around femininity and youth. I am going to take inspiration from a previous project that I have done based on femininity which was originally inspired from ‘Girl Pictures’ by Justine Kurland. Girl Pictures is a photo book based on teenage runaways who become empowered the deeper you investigate the book. When looking at different photographer’s work, I came across a certain photo named ‘Fashion’ by Paul Kookier which caught my eye and has given me inspiration as I believe it captures femininity in a particular way which is not immensely popular. Another photographer which I discovered was Michelle Sank and her photo book ‘becoming’. Becoming is a series of projects made by Michelle Sank put into one book and explores the background of young children who have struggled throughout their childhood. I believe that both photographers capture femininity very well as they have a female’s perspective and outlook.  

I am pleased to be doing my personal project based on the nostalgia of femininity and youth as they are all important topics. Femininity is empowering as it can show the amount of power someone can hold through feelings and emotions. I will be taking photos primarily of females as they are getting ready for nights out and while they are out, however, there will be features of males. I aim to capture aspects of youth through teenagers partying and having fun. some of my photos will be staged like Justine Kurland’s images and others will not be, similar to Michelle Sank’s work. 

In this essay, I will be conducting how photos can not only be ‘experiences captured ‘, but also so much more. Sontag implies to readers of her book that “the camera is the ideal arm of consciousness in its acquisitive mood.” (Add in Harvard reference Susan Sontag) The use of the phrase ‘acquisitive mood’ suggests that photographs can be catalysts in the pursuit of hoarding memories and experiences creating an overall sense of nostalgia.  

Historically, the concept of photography stemmed from art and paintings. Portrait paintings were used by high-net-worth families, for family portraits which were highly staged, and could be manipulated into concealing the truth. However, as photography became more popular and more accessible in the 1800’s, the style of portraits also gained popularity due to the convenience of the process becoming less time consuming and tedious. Photographers like Julia Margaret Cameron, who was known for her ‘soft-focus’ images of men and women during the 19th century is “considered one of the most important portraitists” (add in Harvard Reference Wikipedia) and took inspiration from paintings and believed in the Pre-Raphaelites beliefs. The Pre-Raphaelite’s were a secret society of young male artists which believed that art should represent the real world and should be painted how you see it without manipulation. In which, while researching Justine Kurland, it became known that she not only gained inspiration from Julia Margaret Cameron she also believed in the Pre-Raphaelite’s beliefs. 

Justine Kurland was born in Warsaw, New York 1969. And is best known for her nineteenth century English picturesque, styles landscape images. I have been most captivated by Kurland’s book ‘Girl Pictures’ as it shows a juxtaposition of the ideal American dream. Throughout the book, Kurland experiments with a staged genre to explore the subjects of femininity and youth through the eyes of teenage runaways, in which she uses to dive into the tales of “tales of teenage delinquency” (add in Harvard reference from the book) she did this by “trolling the streets around various high schools, cruising for teenage collaborators.” (add in Harvard reference from the book) By getting real ‘runaways’ to model, Kurland introduces a sense of documentary into this book making it all seem more real. Justine Kurland was a runaway herself, which enables her to relate to the images she has taken and portray it through her own subjective experiences which are nostalgic to herself. Furthermore, Kurland gains inspiration through art as she states, “I’m always thinking about painting:” “English landscapes and the utopian idea and photographer Julia Margaret Cameron. (add in Harvard Reference system Wikipedia)

Justine Kurland’s ‘Girl Pictures’ were often staged in desolated areas which could be argued that they are almost disconnected from reality which conveys a sense of escapism. The story of the book evolves the further you investigate it. Towards the beginning of the book, it is staged in quite well populated areas with a scarce number of models. However, as the location settings become more rural, more runaways would “multiply through the force of togetherness.” (add in Harvard reference from the book). 

Another artist whose work attracted my attention was Michelle Sank, and her photo book Becoming. Michelle Sank is a South African photographer however, moved to England in 1978, and has called it her forever home from the moment she got there. Becoming is a collection of Sank’s previous projects which include ‘Bye-Bye Baby’ and ‘Celestial Echoes’. I was most riveted by Justine Kurland’s intention of capturing the raw experiences of childhood and growing up. ‘Bye-Bye Baby’ is one of the photo series used within Becoming and “explores the way young boys and girls interpret their understanding of masculinity and femininity.” She mainly produced all of her images in Ireland in which she was able to capture children that are confronted with the issue of interface- the areas within Ireland that are segregated into working class residential zones, who are also challenged with struggles for example, teenage mothers, young offenders and young carers who are faced with looking after sick family members, “Celestial Echoes continues with this theme looking at this phenomenon within older adolescent girls”. 

Michelle Sank’s images have a documentary style about them as they are not staged, everyone who features within the photobook has been “invited to present themselves to the camera as they deem appropriate.” which creates a “quiet conflict” aesthetic. “The young people confidently embrace the opportunity to be photographed with attitude and grace. At the same time, they appear vulnerable and doubtful, questioning the complex process and changing realities of becoming an adult.” 

Overall, Justine Kurland & Michelle Sank explore youth and femininity through their work from both an inside and outside perspective they both shared elements of trust with their models and had a responsibility to portray characters with sensitivity and respect. Justine Kurland almost relives her childhood of being a teenage runaway through out her book while exaggerating the stereotypes of femininity. She does this by staging her photos with an all-female society. While doing this, she wanted the models to play a caring supportive role to one another, however they started to form their own community and pact on their own terms as they bonded and started to create their own friendships through togetherness, further exaggerating the stereotypes of female friendships as they play with each other’s hair and walk arm in arm together. Due to Justine Kurland’s previous experiences, she would have been able to create more of a bond and a relationship with her subjects over time unlike Michelle sank, as she could be viewed as an outsider looking in. Furthermore, Michelle Sank explores femininity and youth through capturing the vulnerability of children which again, come from tricky backgrounds, however, this time in their own community which they live in. Michelle Sank takes on a documentary role as she looks deeper into the backgrounds of everyone she is photographing and how social structures can affect and make people who they are as individuals, and how someone people can be born at a disadvantage.

Bibliography: List all relevant sources used

• Wikipedia contributors (2023) Justine Kurland https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justine_Kurland (Accessed: 26th January 2024).
• Wikipedia contributors (2024) Julia Margaret Cameron. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Margaret_Cameron (Accessed: 26th January 2024).
  • A very brief history of portrait photography (2022). https://www.befunky.com/learn/a-history-of-portrait-photography/ (Accessed: 26th January 2024).
• Sank, M. (no date) Michelle Sank: Becoming by Michelle Sank. https://www.lensculture.com/books/7058-michelle-sank-becoming (Accessed: 5th February 2024).
• Ken (no date) Bye-Bye baby. https://www.michellesank.com/portfolios/bye-bye-baby (Accessed: 5th February 2024).
• Justine Kurland on The Girl Picture Problem (2024). https://www.frieze.com/article/justine-kurland-girl-picture-problem (Accessed: 5th February 2024).