ARTIST STATEMENT
Growing up, I fell in love with old cinematic masterpieces of the ’40s and ’50s, which tended to contradict my own views of what a woman should and can do. This contradiction led to my work centering around the space that women hold in our society and how that is continually evolving by stepping back in time to take a critical look at cinematic stills. By taking inspiration from the cinematic masterpieces of the ’50s and adding a sense of tension in an otherwise dreamy perfect world, I am commenting on how we romanticize this time and give light to cracks that ran deep even back then. I work to transform seemingly insignificant moments in women’s lives into images that ask you to think of what is unknown that surrounds each woman. I use my photographs as a way to understand my own place in the world and to channel how I feel even in our evolved society. I hope each image I create connects with a certain feeling that every woman has felt at one point in their life as they try to make their path in our modernized world. It is important in life and in my images to look beneath the surface to see that this is not a perfect scene but instead reality caught in a moment.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Rachel Feinstein is a photographer from Cleveland, Ohio and is now based in New York City. She is inspired by classic cinema, expressive fashion, and color theory. Her work centers around the space that women hold in our society by pulling from the feel of a cinematic still from the past and adding in different elements to create a slight discomfort for the audience. She has recently been featured in prominent exhibitions, including showcases at Galerie Anita Beckers in Frankfurt, Germany, and the “Just Women” exhibition in Milan, Italy.
© Rachel Feinstein