Jena Love is an artist and educator who lives and works in Sullivan County, NY. Though her background is in drawing and painting, she is currently focused on expanding her body of conceptual photography work. In her art, Love explores the complexities, ironies, challenges, humor, and beauty of motherhood. A mother of three, Love often captures herself and her family as the primary models for her images, set within the context of domestic spaces. She uses elements of documentary and typological photography, along with aspects of surrealism and farce to craft images that critically engage with the quotidian nature of family life, finding humor in the mundane. Though approached through the lens of a personal narrative, Love’s art speaks more broadly to the universal and shared experiences of mothers, parents, and children, particularly as situated within an American consumerist culture. Her work has been exhibited in various exhibitions within the United States as well as internationally. Love has been featured in numerous publications such as LENSCRATCH, Feature Shoot, and F-stop magazine. She was named one of the 100 female photographers to watch in 2021 by Click Magazine and included in Photolucida’s Critical Mass top 50 of 2022.
Exhibitions
2024
Group Show, The Saint Petersburg Month of Photography “Mother Lens: Photographic Visions on Motherhood.” MoM at The Factory, St. Petersburg, FL
Group Show, “Family Photos- Memory, Identity, Artifact”, Praxis Photo Arts Center, Minneapolis, MN
Group Show, “Art in Sixes”, Delaware Valley Artist Alliance. Narrowsburg, NY
2023
Featured Exhibitor, “Head On Photo Festival”. Bondi Beach, Australia
Group Show, “Atelier 37”, The Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester, MA
Group Show, “Imminent Existence”, Photographic Center Northwest, Seattle, WA
2022
Group show, “Art in Sixes”, Delaware Valley Artist Alliance. Narrowsburg, NY
Solo Show, “Sullivan County”, Rafters. Callicoon, NY
Group Show, “Cartography of Care”, Spilt Milk Gallery. Edinburgh, Scotland
Group Show, “Painting at Night”, Collar Works. Troy, NY
Group Show, “On the Move”, Dallas Center for Photography. Dallas, TX
Publications
2023
Collaborative Project, F-Stop Magazine, Issue # 121
Article and Feature, Milk Art Journal, “Purpose and Ambivalence”, Vol. 3
Feature and Interview, LENSCRATCH, May 12, 2023
2022
Feature and Interview, Feature Shoot, “Motherhood Doesn’t Look Like A Pinterest Board (It’s Much Messier)”
Article and Feature, Parenting through Anything Magazine
Feature, WE ARE Magazine, RPS women in Photography, Sept. 2022
Image Feature, Clan Magazine, Issue #4
Image Feature, Stern Magazine
Image Feature, Photo Cereal, “Diminishing Light”
Image Feature, LENSCRATCH, “2/22/22 Exhibition”
Feature and Interview, F-stop Magazine, Issue #111
2021
Image Feature, F-stop Magazine, Issue #106
Image Feature, “Creatives on Fire”
2020
Image Feature, This Detailed Life Magazine, Edition Two
Image Feature, Vanity Fair Italia
Image Feature, Bored Panda
Awards and Recognitions
2022
Photolucida Critical Mass 2022 Top 50
Click Magazine VOICE collection
Click Choice- “Self Portrait” and “Neighborhood”
Honorable Mention- “Neighborhood” ,“Real Life” ,“Light”,”Humor”, and “Layers”
Documentary Family Awards, finalist image- “Persons best friend”
Documentary Family Awards, finalist image- “Nothing is better than real life”
2021
Click Magazine VOICE collection, finalist image- “Color Theory”
Recognized by Click Community as one of the 100 female photographers to watch in 2021
Recipient of two This is Reportage Family Awards, collection 8
2020
Recognized by This is Reportage Family as #24 internationally and #3 United States top photographers
Recipient of two This is Reportage Family Awards, collection 3
Recipient of four This is Reportage Family Awards, collection 2
Education
2008 BFA Painting and Drawing, BS Art Education - The State University of New York at New Paltz
2011 MA Art Studio - The State University of New York at New Paltz