Queer Photographs by JJ Levine explores chosen families and the representation of traditional, binary gender roles through portraiture.
Levine is a Montréal-based artist whose work has been exhibited across Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Europe. In 2019, he was a finalist for the Prix Découverte Louis Roederer at the Rencontres d’Arles photography festival in France and has been featured in various newspapers and magazines around the world.
The exhibit, which is currently on display at the McCord Museum, is composed of 52 photographs from three different series as well as a video interview with the artist on his creative process. Known for his portraiture, Levine’s photos depict the lives of LGBTQ+ people while challenging and exploring gender binaries.
“I’ve always been drawn to portraiture, from a very young age, and the way that it can capture memories and emotions,” said Levine. “And my work is about identity. I think that there’s a really obvious link between identity and portraiture.”
McCord Museum Exhibits Queer Photographs by JJ Levine
As patrons enter the exhibit, they’re greeted by an image of Miwa 2021 from Queer Portraits, a project Levine started in 2006.
Levine thinks of every little detail, including the wallpaper, ornamentation and even the outfit the individual is wearing. The artist specifically chose the triangle-shaped bookshelf sitting on the wall and the vase of flowers. Even the way Miwa sits, with their hand, propped on their knee is purposeful.
The series is composed of portraits of the artist’s queer friend group or “chosen family”. Levine directs the way that the individuals appear in the image such as their emotions and posture as well as the mise-en-scène.
A photo called Intimates challenges the perception of traditional family structures and celebrates those that fall outside of the norm. It features two women, who both identify as queer, as they raise a child together despite not being romantically involved.
Additional large-scale images make up the 2009 project Switch. At first glance, Switch appears to be a series of heterosexual couples, invoking all the awkwardness of prom photos. However, as you take a closer look, it becomes clear that it’s the same couple twice. Instead of four individuals, the project depicts the models as both male and female in opposing images.
Finally, Levine depicts one person as both male and female in his series Alone Time. Similar to Switch, Alone Time appears to be a series of heterosexual couples. However, each couple is actually one model playing both genders. Levine layered several different negatives together to create the images which feature “couples” lying in bed, reading and spending time with family.
Creating a portrait takes a lot of planning
“In every portrait, the background is completely staged,” said Levine. “For my Queer Portraits, I normally create a temporary studio inside the person’s house; each shot is curated and every object within the frame is carefully placed. For this reason, despite representing real people and their authentic identities, I don’t consider my work documentary”
He explains that he takes inspiration from studio portrait art which was historically reserved for a specific class of people.
“The way in which late nineteenth century and early twentieth-century portraits were shot – because of long exposure times and the cost of glass plate negative and other practical concerns – the act of making portraits was very time consuming and involved,” he said. “I think the way that I work is close to that tradition, as I’m still shooting on film and in some cases, still printing in the darkroom.”
While Levine uses a digital camera to do tests, he always shoots the final photos on film. The artist makes most of the prints using a digital darkroom process. First, he scans the negatives and then prints them on photographic paper. He said, “the fact that everything is shot on film, and everything is printed on light-sensitive paper – it is still very tied to the analog medium.”
“When I’m blowing my images up to 40”x50”, grain and texture is very important for me,” he said. “Rendering an image digitally would give me a completely different result. And I always prefer film grain to pixels.”
He said, “I want people to feel connected to my work in some way. I want the viewer to question their own beliefs or assumptions around identity, gender, and sexuality, whether that’s about themselves or other people. There are also themes that come up in my work, like love and connection and friendship, and I think those can be relatable to any audience.”
Queer Photographs will be on display until April 24, 2022.
Jano Lapin 