THE 'I-A CALL FOR SELF-PORTRAITURE'- Ellen Friedlander > FIRST PLACE:Eileen Hohmuth-Lemonick: "Death"
FIRST PLACE:Eileen Hohmuth-Lemonick: "Death"
DEATH by Eileen Hohmuth-Lemonick
FIRST PLACE
FIRST PLACE
Curator Ellen Friedlander's review: "As I pondered over the diversity of self expressions that were submitted to this call, I was repeatedly drawn back to this photograph. The richness of the black and white creates a mysterious mood, which combined with the decaying plants and the skull becomes a haunting self-portrait that elicits questions about the passage of time. Is it a life well lived? Is the person happy?
This photograph really struck a chord with me as a deeply layered and contemplative self-portrait conveying themes of decay and the aging spirit. I love how the swirling of the gray hair and the patterns of the flowers are all integrated. I am really pulled into the photograph; it makes me want to know more about the person behind the form.
Perhaps it is my own hyperawareness of the aging process that drew me in, but it is Eileen Hohmuth-Lemonick's composition that captivated me. I feel that the flowers in Eileen’s photograph could symbolize the feminine energy changing. Nature is always rejuvenating, so in the decay there is also rebirth. This self-portrait feels like the shedding of a particular experience to let a transformation occur.
Henri Cartier-Bresson notably wrote, "Content cannot be separated from form..." So, how and why did you choose the fern and the other flower varieties to be in your expression of “the I”?"
Eileen Hohmuth-Lemonick says, "The project this image comes from started when I fractured my pelvis, was immobile, and could only get around with a walker.
Friends sent bouquets and, with severely limited motion, I began to photograph them on my kitchen table as they died and dried, finding beauty in their decay. From that initial work, I continued to observe the passage of time in nature.
By now, my studio is full of dead things. The ferns and spent hibiscus blooms are from my garden. I love their sinuous forms. The flower with the missing petals is a memento from my father that my mother had pressed into a book, eighty years ago—but I never saw my parents together. They divorced soon after I was born. The skull was given to me by my ten-year-old son, Ben, forty years ago. In terms of visual organization, choice and placement are key. I gradually work up to the final image, adding and subtracting until instinctively I know that it is right."
Freidlander says, "The framing of this photograph from an aerial viewpoint gives a sense of voyeurism - was this a conscious decision?"
Hohmuth-Lemonick says, "I don’t think of it as voyeurism, in which people are violating my privacy. On the contrary, I am ready to reveal my secrets. I wanted to reclaim my older woman’s body from the white male viewpoint of what is feminine. I take what is private and personal in my life and put it out there for all to see. I have alopecia and want to acknowledge that I wear a wig. I no longer care about creating work that is appealing to my male colleagues. I am willing to contemplate my own death."
Freidlander says, "I am also curious if this photograph is a reflection of a moment in time, or is it more of a sustained feeling that you are grappling with?"
Hohmuth-Lemonick says, "It’s more of a sustained feeling these days. Change is constant. The process of growing older is an inescapable fact. Many of my images contain traces of a lifetime of memories. They have to do with the passing of time, moments and people that are gone; love, sexuality, family, beauty, decay, fragility, longevity, vulnerability, sickness, health and death."
Artist Statement –
Eileen Hohmuth-Lemonick says, "These self-portraits were taken over the past few years. At seventy-six years old, body change is a visible fact. How do others see me? Sadly, women are frequently culturally devalued and objectified after a certain age. Sometimes I feel invisible. Amidst the forces of patriarchal culture and the overwhelming emphasis on youth in our society, it is important to note that one in four 65-year-old women will live past the age of 90, and one in ten will live past 95.
I want to document my aging, creating self-portraits that are authentic, confrontational, and free from vanity. These images are influenced by my dreams, personal experience and an awareness of my own mortality. I want to look hard and accept who I am. The imperfections and injuries, as well as my flesh, blood and bones tell my story."
SOLO EXHIBITS:
Arts Council of Princeton, New Jersey
Anne Reed Art Gallery, Princeton, New Jersey
Monmouth Museum, New Jersey
National Video Center, New York City
University of the Arts, Philadelphia
The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia
JURIED GROUP EXHIBITS:
Praxis Gallery, St Paul, Minnesota
Raritan Valley Community College, NJ, 10 artists
Southeast Center for Photography, Greenville, SC
PH21 Gallery, Budapest, Hungary
Art in the Time of Covid, A Global Art Project
Univ. S. Mississippi Museum of Art School of Performing and Visual Arts
Art Fluent, online gallery
Ellerslie, The Trenton City Museum, “From Durer to Digital and 3-D: 10 artists,
Anne Reid Art Gallery, Princeton, NJ – 2 artists
BIO:
Employment Freelance photographer
1979-2019 Full time photography teacher Princeton Day School.
2013-2015 Photography instructor, Town of Princeton Adult School
EDUCATION:
Bachelor of Science- Art Education, State University of New Paltz, New York
GRANTS & FELLOWSHIPS:
Cuba Cultural Tour for photography teachers
Healthcare in Malawi: funded by the Neiman Foundation for Journalists at Harvard
University, the Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation and Princeton Day School.
Photo Educator of the Year Award, Maine Media Workshops
ArtsLink grant, funded by National Endowment for the Arts/The Soros Foundation
Village Voice Documentary Photography Grant
Visual Arts Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts
Klingenstein Fellowship, Project Earthwatch,
Fellowship in Photography, New Jersey State Council on the Arts
IMAGES FOR SALE-
Childhood - 17”W x 24”H
Red River Aurora Art White 300 Archival Paper
$400. Unframed
Limited edition of 25
Signed on back
Death- 17”W x 24”H
Red River Aurora Art White 300 Archival Paper
$400. Unframed
Limited edition of 25
Signed on back
After I Fell - 19”W x 12.5”H
Red River Aurora Art White 300 Archival Paper
$400. Unframed
Limited edition of 25
Signed on back
Aging – 10”W x 14”H
Red River Aurora Art White 300 Archival Paper
$400. Unframed
Limited edition of 25
Signed on back
Hibiscus _ 16"W x 22"H
Red River Aurora Art White 300 Archival Paper
$400. Unframed
Limited edition of 25
Signed on back
Foot _ 24" W x 16" H
Red River Aurora Art White 300 Archival Paper
$400. Unframed
Limited edition of 25
Signed on back
Contact: Eileen HohmuthLemonickeilhoh45@gmail.com
www.ehlphotos.com
www.instagram.com/eileenhohmuth-lemonick/
------------------------------
THE 'I-A CALL FOR SELF-PORTRAITURE' HOME:
https://laphotocurator.com/the-i-a-call-for-self-portraiture-ellen-friedlander
THE 'I-A CALL FOR SELF-PORTRAITURE' FIRST PLACE:
https://laphotocurator.com/the-i-a-call-for-self-portraiture-ellen-friedlander/first-place-eileen-hohmuth-lemonick-death----/1
THE 'I-A CALL FOR SELF-PORTRAITURE' SECOND PLACE:
https://laphotocurator.com/the-i-a-call-for-self-portraiture-ellen-friedlander/second-place-karen-crouse-weathered----/1
THE 'I-A CALL FOR SELF-PORTRAITURE' HONORABLE MENTIONS:
https://laphotocurator.com/the-i-a-call-for-self-portraiture-ellen-friedlander/honorable-mentions-anne-berry-choices-carrie-usmar-actively-listens-ian-wright-self-2-yulia-morris-looking-diane-fenster-night-heart----/1
THE 'I-A CALL FOR SELF-PORTRAITURE' BEST SERIES:
https://laphotocurator.com/the-i-a-call-for-self-portraiture-ellen-friedlander/best-series-susan-kaufer-carey/1
THE 'I-A CALL FOR SELF-PORTRAITURE' EXHIBITION #1:
https://laphotocurator.com/the-i-a-call-for-self-portraiture-ellen-friedlander/exhibition-1/1
THE 'I-A CALL FOR SELF-PORTRAITURE' EXHIBITION #2:
https://laphotocurator.com/the-i-a-call-for-self-portraiture-ellen-friedlander/exhibition-2/1
THE 'I-A CALL FOR SELF-PORTRAITURE' EXHIBITION #3:
https://laphotocurator.com/the-i-a-call-for-self-portraiture-ellen-friedlander/exhibition-3/1
THE 'I-A CALL FOR SELF-PORTRAITURE' EXHIBITION #4:
https://laphotocurator.com/the-i-a-call-for-self-portraiture-ellen-friedlander/exhibition-4/1
This photograph really struck a chord with me as a deeply layered and contemplative self-portrait conveying themes of decay and the aging spirit. I love how the swirling of the gray hair and the patterns of the flowers are all integrated. I am really pulled into the photograph; it makes me want to know more about the person behind the form.
Perhaps it is my own hyperawareness of the aging process that drew me in, but it is Eileen Hohmuth-Lemonick's composition that captivated me. I feel that the flowers in Eileen’s photograph could symbolize the feminine energy changing. Nature is always rejuvenating, so in the decay there is also rebirth. This self-portrait feels like the shedding of a particular experience to let a transformation occur.
Henri Cartier-Bresson notably wrote, "Content cannot be separated from form..." So, how and why did you choose the fern and the other flower varieties to be in your expression of “the I”?"
Eileen Hohmuth-Lemonick says, "The project this image comes from started when I fractured my pelvis, was immobile, and could only get around with a walker.
Friends sent bouquets and, with severely limited motion, I began to photograph them on my kitchen table as they died and dried, finding beauty in their decay. From that initial work, I continued to observe the passage of time in nature.
By now, my studio is full of dead things. The ferns and spent hibiscus blooms are from my garden. I love their sinuous forms. The flower with the missing petals is a memento from my father that my mother had pressed into a book, eighty years ago—but I never saw my parents together. They divorced soon after I was born. The skull was given to me by my ten-year-old son, Ben, forty years ago. In terms of visual organization, choice and placement are key. I gradually work up to the final image, adding and subtracting until instinctively I know that it is right."
Freidlander says, "The framing of this photograph from an aerial viewpoint gives a sense of voyeurism - was this a conscious decision?"
Hohmuth-Lemonick says, "I don’t think of it as voyeurism, in which people are violating my privacy. On the contrary, I am ready to reveal my secrets. I wanted to reclaim my older woman’s body from the white male viewpoint of what is feminine. I take what is private and personal in my life and put it out there for all to see. I have alopecia and want to acknowledge that I wear a wig. I no longer care about creating work that is appealing to my male colleagues. I am willing to contemplate my own death."
Freidlander says, "I am also curious if this photograph is a reflection of a moment in time, or is it more of a sustained feeling that you are grappling with?"
Hohmuth-Lemonick says, "It’s more of a sustained feeling these days. Change is constant. The process of growing older is an inescapable fact. Many of my images contain traces of a lifetime of memories. They have to do with the passing of time, moments and people that are gone; love, sexuality, family, beauty, decay, fragility, longevity, vulnerability, sickness, health and death."
Artist Statement –
Eileen Hohmuth-Lemonick says, "These self-portraits were taken over the past few years. At seventy-six years old, body change is a visible fact. How do others see me? Sadly, women are frequently culturally devalued and objectified after a certain age. Sometimes I feel invisible. Amidst the forces of patriarchal culture and the overwhelming emphasis on youth in our society, it is important to note that one in four 65-year-old women will live past the age of 90, and one in ten will live past 95.
I want to document my aging, creating self-portraits that are authentic, confrontational, and free from vanity. These images are influenced by my dreams, personal experience and an awareness of my own mortality. I want to look hard and accept who I am. The imperfections and injuries, as well as my flesh, blood and bones tell my story."
SOLO EXHIBITS:
Arts Council of Princeton, New Jersey
Anne Reed Art Gallery, Princeton, New Jersey
Monmouth Museum, New Jersey
National Video Center, New York City
University of the Arts, Philadelphia
The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia
JURIED GROUP EXHIBITS:
Praxis Gallery, St Paul, Minnesota
Raritan Valley Community College, NJ, 10 artists
Southeast Center for Photography, Greenville, SC
PH21 Gallery, Budapest, Hungary
Art in the Time of Covid, A Global Art Project
Univ. S. Mississippi Museum of Art School of Performing and Visual Arts
Art Fluent, online gallery
Ellerslie, The Trenton City Museum, “From Durer to Digital and 3-D: 10 artists,
Anne Reid Art Gallery, Princeton, NJ – 2 artists
BIO:
Employment Freelance photographer
1979-2019 Full time photography teacher Princeton Day School.
2013-2015 Photography instructor, Town of Princeton Adult School
EDUCATION:
Bachelor of Science- Art Education, State University of New Paltz, New York
GRANTS & FELLOWSHIPS:
Cuba Cultural Tour for photography teachers
Healthcare in Malawi: funded by the Neiman Foundation for Journalists at Harvard
University, the Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation and Princeton Day School.
Photo Educator of the Year Award, Maine Media Workshops
ArtsLink grant, funded by National Endowment for the Arts/The Soros Foundation
Village Voice Documentary Photography Grant
Visual Arts Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts
Klingenstein Fellowship, Project Earthwatch,
Fellowship in Photography, New Jersey State Council on the Arts
IMAGES FOR SALE-
Childhood - 17”W x 24”H
Red River Aurora Art White 300 Archival Paper
$400. Unframed
Limited edition of 25
Signed on back
Death- 17”W x 24”H
Red River Aurora Art White 300 Archival Paper
$400. Unframed
Limited edition of 25
Signed on back
After I Fell - 19”W x 12.5”H
Red River Aurora Art White 300 Archival Paper
$400. Unframed
Limited edition of 25
Signed on back
Aging – 10”W x 14”H
Red River Aurora Art White 300 Archival Paper
$400. Unframed
Limited edition of 25
Signed on back
Hibiscus _ 16"W x 22"H
Red River Aurora Art White 300 Archival Paper
$400. Unframed
Limited edition of 25
Signed on back
Foot _ 24" W x 16" H
Red River Aurora Art White 300 Archival Paper
$400. Unframed
Limited edition of 25
Signed on back
Contact: Eileen HohmuthLemonickeilhoh45@gmail.com
www.ehlphotos.com
www.instagram.com/eileenhohmuth-lemonick/
------------------------------
THE 'I-A CALL FOR SELF-PORTRAITURE' HOME:
https://laphotocurator.com/the-i-a-call-for-self-portraiture-ellen-friedlander
THE 'I-A CALL FOR SELF-PORTRAITURE' FIRST PLACE:
https://laphotocurator.com/the-i-a-call-for-self-portraiture-ellen-friedlander/first-place-eileen-hohmuth-lemonick-death----/1
THE 'I-A CALL FOR SELF-PORTRAITURE' SECOND PLACE:
https://laphotocurator.com/the-i-a-call-for-self-portraiture-ellen-friedlander/second-place-karen-crouse-weathered----/1
THE 'I-A CALL FOR SELF-PORTRAITURE' HONORABLE MENTIONS:
https://laphotocurator.com/the-i-a-call-for-self-portraiture-ellen-friedlander/honorable-mentions-anne-berry-choices-carrie-usmar-actively-listens-ian-wright-self-2-yulia-morris-looking-diane-fenster-night-heart----/1
THE 'I-A CALL FOR SELF-PORTRAITURE' BEST SERIES:
https://laphotocurator.com/the-i-a-call-for-self-portraiture-ellen-friedlander/best-series-susan-kaufer-carey/1
THE 'I-A CALL FOR SELF-PORTRAITURE' EXHIBITION #1:
https://laphotocurator.com/the-i-a-call-for-self-portraiture-ellen-friedlander/exhibition-1/1
THE 'I-A CALL FOR SELF-PORTRAITURE' EXHIBITION #2:
https://laphotocurator.com/the-i-a-call-for-self-portraiture-ellen-friedlander/exhibition-2/1
THE 'I-A CALL FOR SELF-PORTRAITURE' EXHIBITION #3:
https://laphotocurator.com/the-i-a-call-for-self-portraiture-ellen-friedlander/exhibition-3/1
THE 'I-A CALL FOR SELF-PORTRAITURE' EXHIBITION #4:
https://laphotocurator.com/the-i-a-call-for-self-portraiture-ellen-friedlander/exhibition-4/1
