INSIDE THE BOX attempts to question the relative truthfulness of the photograph in general and the portrait in particular. As the audience observes these portraits, the subjects are considered, categorized, and judged by their observable, superficial characteristics. Observers then filter these considerations through their societal perceptions and stigmas determined by gender, class, and ethnicity.

While drawing inspiration from portraiture of the recent past and present, the work appropriates the visual language of popular culture and commercial photography, thereby blurring the lines between realism, representation, and stereotyping. By applying the clichés “judging a book by its cover” and “thinking inside the box,” the images confirm societal stereotypes and question whether we are unique individuals or merely a product of the culture and society we live in.

Sophie Leichte Jacobson