Jaina Cipriano

In the Middle of the Night

Inspired by: Esther Solondz, Untitled (Rust Portrait)

photograph on archival paper

20″ x 24″

2017

I construct emotive and enveloping experiences for viewers with my installations and photographs. Through illusionistic set designs – devoid of any digital manipulation – I communicate the complex grief of growing up as a woman in a culture dedicated to stifling authentic emotion and communication. This is especially precarious for those of us who fear abandonment, as it is easy, in our search for love and connection, to get caught in a web of codependency without any means of emotional salvation. I am interested in creating a space where people with similar trauma can feel witnessed by others as the first step to liberation from this cycle of silence, the facade of isolation. My pieces depict cut-off subjects struggling to escape. When they realize no one is coming to save them, they seek the strength to save themselves.

@jainastudio