Jen Kiaba is an artist and educator who grew up in the infamous Unification Church, a religious group referred to by popular media as “the Moonies” and a primary example of a cult. After escaping a forced arranged marriage, she fought her way out in her early twenties. After leaving the cult she went on to earn her BA in Art History at Bard College.
As an artist, she uses photography to explore the failure of faith and the resulting loss of identity that occurs. Her work has been exhibited internationally, was a third-place winner of the Julia Margaret Cameron Award, a top 200 finalist in Critical Mass, and an Honorable Mention in the 13th Pollux Award.
Since 2014 she has worked as an educator and mentor with various non-profits that see to empower youth. She also writes and speaks about art, healing and their intersection.
‘In my project Burdens of a White Dress, I use self-portraits to explore what it means to leave an identity, a culture, a language and a family behind. As a woman brought up in the Unification Church, commonly remembered as the Moonies, the only things that mattered were for me to consent to an arranged marriage and to bear “blessed children.” At twenty, after being forced to marry a stranger, I finally fought my way out.
In this project, I wanted to explore themes of religious conviction as it crumbles into an eventual failure of faith and the loss of identity that occurs. I imagine the camera, and therefore the viewer, as the omniscient witness to my inner moments of turmoil. By casting the viewer as a witness my aim is to provoke a deeper empathy and wider conversation about what it means to seek out an identity outside of societal constructs.
Serving as my own model I depict the battles between the cult identity I wore to survive and the true self that was struggling against suffocation. The photos depict my progress questioning and challenging the norms with which I was raised. Each image stands as a mile marker in the stages of self-discovery, cognitive dissonance, shame and grief.
To create the work, I have chosen a consistent palette of red, black and white in the costumes, props and set design because of the strong associations these colours conjure: sin and strength for red, purity for white, and darkness for black. The implicit bias and religious symbolism associated with these colours challenge the viewer to question their assumptions and beliefs within my photographic narrative as they witness the journey playing out before them’.
Self-taught or art school?
My grandfather gave me my first film camera when I was 14 and about to go on a month-long church program across the United States. The gift, however, was conditional. Because he was an amateur photographer himself, he gave me the assignment to shoot two rolls of film so that he could assess my compositions before granting me the camera. Luckily, my images passed his scrutiny and I ended up falling in love with photography on my trip.
And although I studied black and white photography in college, my degree program was actually Art History. Then in 2007, I began studying colour and digital photography under a mentor who worked in the commercial and fine art photography spheres.
If you could own one work of art what would it be?
It would be tough to narrow down the list of art that I love to a single work, but I adore The Kiss by Gustav Klimt.
How would you describe your style?
Dark conceptual self-portraiture, utilizing colour theory and symbolism explore the issues of coercive control and religious trauma in my background.
Can you tell us about your artistic process?
It generally begins with a sketch, however, I am learning to come to the studio with a willingness to explore and play. I tend to shoot on either a blank wall or use a red or black backdrop. In the past, I would take many shots in order to create elaborate composites in Photoshop, although these days I am working more with single shots and simple compositions. Once I’m done in the studio, I’ll take my images into Photoshop for colour grading, or whatever montage and manipulation a piece might need to bring my vision to life.
Is narrative important within your work?
Yes! Each photograph acts like a beat in the timeline of my story, instances of realization, movements forward or descents back into dark places. And while my images are my attempt to tell my own story, I always hope that the viewer will be able to weave their own experiences into the moments I’ve created.
Who are your favourite artists and why?
When I first began studying photography I fell in love with the Pictorialism movement. I felt a kind of kinship with the idea of “creating” an image, rather than recording a moment, as in the straight photography movement. And so I love the work of Clarence H. White, Alfred Stieglitz, Annie Brigman, and, of course, Julia Margaret Cameron.
What or who inspires your art?
These days the study of psychology and trauma inspires a lot of my work. It drives me to explore our sense of connectedness or lack, therefore, and what pulls us together versus what keeps us apart. So the more I understand about things like shame, and the healing modalities that can bring us out of those dark places, the more inspired I am to explore creatively.
Where’s your studio and what’s it like?
Up until the pandemic, I had a shared studio space with several photographers in a building that had been converted into artist’s lofts. Now I am working primarily out of my home, and have been in the process of building a studio space on my property. I also love shooting on location!
Do you have any studio rituals?
Before the pandemic, I used to get together with a friend for weekly studio dates, and my favourite part of that time was sitting down on the sofas in my studio to talk and plan. So many amazing shots came out of that ideation time. Now I am in the process of developing new rituals as I get used to working alone again. But tea and music are absolute musts while I edit!
What are you working on currently?
Lately, I have been exploring more mixed media, incorporating ink transfers and paint into my process. I’m very early on in this process, so I don’t have any series planned around this so far but I am excited to see where it goes.
Where can we buy your art?
I sell limited edition prints through my website at https://www.jenkiaba.com
