How Surrealist Black And White Fine Art Photographer Lexi Jude Uses Her Artistic Expression And Platform To Bring Awareness And Discussion For Various Debatably 'Taboo' Mental Health Issues

Lexi Jude is a surrealist black and white fine art photographer (digital, film, and alternative processing), artist, & poet based in the United States. She fights for authenticity, vulnerability, and individuality through her creative expression. She is not afraid to depict and explore taboo normality’s and unspoken realities in her work, such as sexuality, identity, body image, and mental illness. She hopes to evoke emotion and a connection with her audience by being transparent about her mental health journey with her art. She has had photography exhibitions in Milan, Italy and Miami & Tampa, Florida (United States). Her writing and photography have been published in Retrograde Magazine, SoundBite Magazine, COA Magazine, Every Pigeon Magazine, OURS Magazine, Sugar Magazine & Peculiars Magazine.

Her series Not Torment Teeter: Rising Up From The Self-Inflicted Body Image Addition explores the confrontation, battle, and conquering of the savage and devilish demons that are body dysmorphia and eating disorders. The primary goal was to generalize the subject matters through using various camera angles and perspectives, mask and materials, and skewed visuals to depict the themes. Photographers Francesca Woodman and Ralph Eugene were the main inspirations for this body of work.

She goes on to state the personal meaning behind the series.

"A lot of the time I feel in a funk or a somewhat lackluster daze of self-confliction, confusion, and loathing. I have never been open about the internal battle and imprisonment I face against my reflection, my war with body dysmorphia. It stems from a long history of mental disorders where I acted on my self-loathing due to my insecurities and desire of something unobtainable.

It was almost like a glitch in time when I came face to face with my reflection like I couldn't recognize who I saw or felt a disconnect between my visual being. I started to have disconnect and emptiness to my own identity due to my skewed and irrational ideas about my appearance and identity.

I use to think there was no real escape from the savage, desperate, and miserable demons that feed off my thriving insecurities and anxiety filled thoughts. I allowed them to continue to quietly crawl and twist my ease only allowing me to plea to feel any real authentic emotion, for the chaos to end, and for the numbness to picked and prodded at until I could feel again. But not because of the self-inflicted addiction but because I allowed myself to feel everything all at once."

It is so essential to vocalize these topics, such as body dysmorphia and eating disorders that are so taboo in todays because people need to know they are not alone their experiences and that healing is possible. To be able to have a platform and audience to express your artistic expression for a genuine purpose, to make connections, to make a statement, to make a change is such an extraordinary opportunity.

Her newest series I Am What I Am; Beyond The Mask visually explains the journey of sexuality how it affected her identity throughout that period of her life. Artist Claude Cahun was a major influence to this body of work because of their self-portraiture and collage work.

"I found a weird sense of comfort in Claude Cahun’s work; the expressiveness and unapologetic flame they had when it came to their individuality and the work they did work about slightly taboo like sexuality and identity through self-portraiture, masquerade, and collage.  

I created seven collages with the themes of identity and sexuality with my own photography, Man Ray’s work, & work from a book about the history of portraiture in printmaking.

These collages visually explain the struggle and the truth behind the mask I wore for so many years."

Coming to terms with one's sexuality is such a personal and emotional journey and experience, it can be one of the scariest times in a persons life, so it is detrimental that people feel comfortable and safe enough to discuss and express their relationship with it. No one should have to feel worthless or wrong for being who they are just because it can be viewed as untraditional and unacceptable in society.  

Your voice can be powerful, it can create change through bring awareness and starting discussions.

Follow Lexi Jude's artistic journey, Website: www.lexijude.com and Instagram: lexi_jude

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