Jamila Clarke

artist statement

Short stories and folktales heavily inspire my work. These stories are brief, open-ended and yet they can weave complex tales by using the viewer to fill in the pieces – inviting them to provide their own answers. As a photographer with a background in psychology and theatre, I find myself drawn to these compelling stories; how they allow the viewer to explore the world of the character - putting themselves into their shoes. Each photo is a brief glimpse at a story already in progress – neither at its beginning nor its end. Some of these stories are fictional and some are inspired by real occurrences, emotions and thoughts, altered and exaggerated to become something far more surreal or hyper real.

Each photograph is approached as if producing a short film – locations are scouted, costumes and props are created and gathered, actors are cast. I use my camera to bring these stories to life, combining the seen and unseen through digital post-processing to stretch the truth to explore things that are experienced internally and usually unseen.