First published 2020
Charlie Engman has been photographing his mother Kathleen McCain Engman since 2009. This Brooklyn-based photographer creates striking portraits that place his subject in unexpected contexts. Sometimes Kathleen appears nude in the studio. Other times she wears a red furry jumpsuit in a roadside field. The images reveal an unusual artistic partnership between mother and son. Their collaboration breaks traditional rules of portrait photography. Engman captures his mother's multiple identities through surreal staging and bold compositions. The book includes writing by novelist Rachel Cusk and a dialogue between Kathleen and artist Miranda July. July reflects on the creative confidence required to build such an unconventional project with one's own parent. The photographs show how family relationships can become the foundation for artistic exploration.
Genres: family, art, contemporary, biography-memoir, photography
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: artistic-collaboration, family-dynamics, unconventional-project
Setting: Brooklyn
Period: 2009
220 pages · Hardcover · Edition Patrick Frey