Bodies of Water - Judianne Grace in FIGURES Photography Magazine

I intentionally place these two subjects together as an act of reclamation of environmental spaces claimed during colonization and as a place free of all the violence female persons have to carry with them every day.

Artist : Judianne Grace

Series : Bodies of Water

Website / Instagram

Judianne Grace is an artist from Lilloet, British Columbia, member of T’it’q’et within the Stl’atl’imx nation. Her upbringing as an Indigenous woman and her surrounding environments play a big part in her work. Having started naturally questioning the status quo in favor of a more matriarchy-oriented society, she explores the themes of nature and the (female) body as a conscious activistic and artistic choice.

“I intentionally place these two subjects together as an act of reclamation of environmental spaces claimed during colonization and as a place free of all the violence female persons have to carry with them every day.”

This effort to convey a dreamlike liberated landscape, both literally and figuratively, paints a bright and free future, or alternative present, cut short only soon as the viewer is confronted back with the harsh reality of the contemporary world.

A constant feature in her images is water – be it in the form of rivers, lakes or waterfalls. Culturally, water represents a sacred element with cleansing properties, not only of the body, but also of the spirit and soul. In her work, it serves yet another purpose: it is used as a bridge to achieve an aesthetic level and emotional depth that, regardless of the technical difficulties, such as the cold temperature, yields both creative results and a personal cathartic experience for the models. Most of the people she photographs “are shedding a skin that is often made up of insecurities around body image, self-perception, mental health, and many other things that have a big impact on your ability to be photographed.”

Her models are as diverse as the natural elements in their surroundings, pictured in a perfect unity with their surroundings. It is perhaps this harmony that stands out the most – the way the bodies fuse and simply are among nature, instead of being in it. And this is part of that same concept of a matriarchal universe (that includes, of course, mother nature).

On creativity, Judianne recognizes the importance of being able to start drawing, painting and creating patterns from childhood, having had the space and encouragement to explore this urge. With her photographic works, she expects the viewer to bypass the ‘prettiness’ and the sexualization of femme bodies, to “shift from objectification and consumption to “what is she trying to say?,” “I wonder how this felt”, “Is this an accurate reality for female persons?”, “I see myself”. However, when my work is paired with my paintings I hope it transmits the underlying message of my work more directly because it’s blunt and doesn’t pull any punches.”

Her Indigenous identity and upbringing are key aspects of her work, giving it a special reading, formed by a distinctive perspective and conceptualization of the world. It is a way of both honoring and question that heritage in the form of art.

“My relationship with the land (…), cultural practices and ideologies (…) imprinted and passed down ancestrally through thousands of years – that’s what makes my work unique, that’s what gives it its soul.”