Jaclyn Iskow

Iczkowicz: The Modern Philosophy of a Woman (2023-2024) is a modular series of self portraits exploring how religion, technology, science and fashion affect the development of my identity as a young woman and artist. Every aspect of production was completed by myself: light, camera, set, hair, makeup, costume, and prints. The series is inspired by my rich family history since my great grandmother, Esther, immigrated to the United States from Poland during the 1930s to escape religious persecution and Nazi rule. I am paying homage to my family through avant-garde self-portraiture and continuing the conversation that artists like Margaret Atwood and Maya Deren began years ago.

Oil on Canvas (2024) is an homage to my paternal grandfather, Alvin Jacob Iczkowicz. Alvin was a tormented WWII veteran and a talented oil painter who passed away shortly after I was born. I only knew him through his paintings, which reside in my childhood home. Peaceful scenes of mundane lake shores became an escape from his severe post traumatic stress. As I continue to hone my photographic practices, I notice my grandfather and I share a tendancy to hide ourselves away in esoteric worlds we construct. Our art is armour used to shield ourselves from violence, grief, loss and betrayal. My art is a bridge to Alvin; a hand eagerly reaching beyond the constructs of space and time.