I can’t remember when or where I saw Jennifer Georgescu’s work for the first time. Since that auspicious moment, her image of a moth held over an infant’s eyes has bounced around my mind, appearing in dreams and nightmares alike. In that image, and across the project Mother Series, Georgescu captures dualities that define childhood and motherhood: vulnerability, strength, joy, exhaustion, the potency of identity as it forms during childhood and its temporary loss during early motherhood.

Through lush and highly choreographed vignettes, Georgescu works through her experience of raising two children to better understand both the universal and deeply personal aspects of parenthood. This work is a visual feast, and best seen in person.

If you can, check out Georgescu’s work in the group exhibitions Trust the Story (Baldwin Photographic Gallery at Middle Tennessee State University) or the Joyce Elaine Grant Exhibition (Texas Woman’s College) and Oceanside Museum of Art Auction Exhibition, and her solo installation at the Cornel/Henry Art Gallery (San Diego).

Roula Seikaly in conversation with Jennifer Georgescu

Roula Seikaly: You made Mother Series as a response to or reckoning with becoming a parent in 2015. What was your idea of motherhood before your child was born? What was your perception or experience of photography before you became a mother? What, if anything, has changed in the interim?

Jennifer Georgescu: I have always been drawn to what makes us human and the way our state of being relies on our relationships to our surroundings. Some of my past projects have centered around self-identity as shaped and formed by others, identity created through our fictional linear narrative of self, humanity’s longing to belong with nature, how we are defined by time and loss, and ultimately, how we carry on in the face of these things.

The most poignant and life-changing events in my life end up being the most universal and I want to elicit the beauty in that. Naturally becoming pregnant fell well within my lines of interest, but my initial introduction to motherhood was one of loss. What was initially supposed to be such a happy time, ended in months of experiencing loss physically, and it was extremely taxing mentally and spiritually. I recognized the extreme luck of being able to conceive again and the pure fortune that granted me the ability to give birth to a healthy child and most recently, a second.

I do however feel that my gratefulness should not have to overshadow the hard and wonderful experience of becoming a mother. It is important to share the difficulties and darkness along with our light.

Seikaly: Your compositions are, necessarily, highly staged. Are there any aspects of motherhood, childhood, and/or the bonds you share with your children that feel as performative as the tableaus you choreograph?

Georgescu: We all wear many masks in life and we perform slightly different versions of ourselves in different contexts. To some extent, I have to wear the mom mask and mold myself to be the person I want my children to be.

But life can never exactly be performative or something that is controlled or choreographed, and that isn’t the point. I do see my role as a mother as one that is ever-changing, and wholeheartedly so.

I stage my photographs so that I may elicit the pure feeling of my relationship with my children and the ever-growing presence of time that weighs on our bond. These photographs are more real to me than our day to day photographs as they most accurately describe the meaning and importance beneath the surface.

Seikaly: Your lighting choices set up a stark tonal contrast. Similarly, your color choices are saturated, yet flat. To me, this suggests an interest in High Renaissance or Baroque painting. What motivates your aesthetic choices?

Georgescu: I am definitely drawn to Renaissance and Baroque art with its theatrical drama, heavily weighted lighting, and symbolic references. These eras speak to the weight of time and religion; both of which are drastically human ideas. I am also heavily drawn to early Byzantine Christian art because of its heavily weighted symbolism, iconography, and gold-gilded glory.

I am interested in referencing the past and repurposing historic religious symbolism to reinterpret motherhood as “the religion of children.” This statement is always in my mind as I am creating this series. We build our lives around our children, make decisions based on them, and we try to become better people for them. Children have also historically been associated as a way of cheating time; they are our legacies and a way of remaining here on Earth.

Seikaly: In addition to color and light, the figural scale seems to be an important compositional component.

Georgescu: The scale of my photographic prints is relative to life-size which adds a layer of accessibility by its relatedness; this is “us.” The distance between figures is of utmost importance in all of my work and this is one of the reasons why I construct my imagery. I control every millimeter of space existing between figures as this is where meaning takes place; this is where relationships happen. Every gesture, distance, negative space, and emptiness means something. It is the space of possibility.

Seikaly: Mother Series parallels an increasingly popular parental choice to visually anonymize one's children, particularly on social media, for the sake of privacy and safety. Is that a concern as you work on a project in which your children's identities are not hidden?

Georgescu: I feel within those lines when putting forth actual depictions of their lives and everyday happenings; those are pure moments with no direction and they are private and appreciated by my family. The children I present in my photographs are not wholeheartedly themselves; they are constructions. They are acting as symbols in varying degrees of what is personal to me, especially so in this project’s beginning days. With my sons coming into their independence and personalities, more and more each day, I do see the way they wish to be shown coming through in the photographs. It is becoming more of a conversation between sitter and photographer each day.

Seikaly: Your children's faces are seen more often than yours in this series. Is that intentional? How has the temporary loss of identity that comes with motherhood impacted you creatively and personally?

Georgescu: The faces are a direct reflection of how the nature of motherhood feels at different stages. The start of this project began in 2015 after the birth of my first son Ames and in the beginning, there was really no identity given to mother or child. Our identity was only described through our relationship. I was an erased being that wasn’t able to have time for thoughts during the day, or time to sleep to have dreams, and it was difficult to function as a person. Over time, a give and take began to develop in our relationship and you can see that reflected in the work by a step back in the framing, allowing more of our bodies to be shown and allowing Ames’ face to be shown. He was becoming separate from me and I could feel it.

In 2017 I gave birth to my second son, Corwin and the dynamic of my imagery changed along with my life. We are now three and things began to get more complicated. As a neurotic planner who leaves nothing to chance, I had somehow overlooked the dynamic that had to take place between brothers; an exciting element that had nothing to do with me. I call this period “Chapter 2” and the camera has panned back even further to allow some of their chosen personality to come through, as well as their reactions to me behind the camera. I choose how to represent myself in the frame later and in what proximity to each of them. It seems sometimes I am barely there and in others, you can start to see a glimpse of my face.

Seikaly: As your children grow and become more independent, are you motivated to explore that change and inevitable separation photographically?

Georgescu: Yes, definitely, and it is already beginning to happen. It has been a wonderful experience to produce this ongoing project because it has grown organically alongside my life. It is strategically planned, conceptualized work that always manages to add an element of surprise at every turn. I am interested to see how my children will feel about creating this work with me as they age but I hope they will see the beauty behind its importance. My hope is that through making this work, they will truly see their mother.

Jennifer Georgescu's Dark, Yet Joyous Portrait of Motherhood