Yearning in Bloom by Mary Jordan
| Availability: | In stock (1) |
Details:
- photograph
- size: 16" x 24"
- available after the close + deinstallation of exhibit (mid-May 2025)
Major: Product Development (Fashion Design), 2025
Artist Statement:
Mary Jordan is a Fashion Product Development major, with a minor in Photography, at Columbia College Chicago. Originally from Chicago, she was raised in the Northwestern suburbs and attended McHenry County Community College before transferring to Columbia to pursue her passion, Fashion Design. Coming from a family plagued by loss, Mary is determined to create something that endures beyond her time. Her interest in photography was ignited as a way to control the narrative of her own identity from others and come to terms with her self-image. This personal journey has fueled her fascination with the power of transformation and the ways in which we can evolve into different versions of ourselves.
With her background in fashion, she enjoys curating photoshoots that unify clothing, scenery, and props, crafting a cohesive artistic vision that embodies the fluidity of identity and self-expression. Beyond fashion photography, Mary’s creative practice extends to smaller-scale projects that serve as a personal exploration of her thoughts and emotions. These works provide a space for her to visually express what weighs on her mind when words fall short.
I believe that identity is fluid, continuously shaped by our experiences, emotions, and the ways others attempt to define us — whether intentionally or not. My work challenges these influences, focusing on the aspects we choose to enhance, allowing us to embody either our most authentic or our most constructed selves. Fashion serves as an extension of this transformation, offering the opportunity to explore multiple versions of ourselves and revealing the many ways we present our identities to the world. Photography allows me to explore these layers of self, capturing fleeting moments of transformation and the freedom to become someone else, even if only for a moment.
While fashion photography is my primary focus, I also find inspiration in more introspective, heavier subject matter on a smaller scale. These personal works often delve into the complexity of love, lust, pain and longing, with an intentional openness that invites the viewer to interpret the images and narratives in their own way.