Seeing the Self: Storytelling Through Self-Portraiture ends 1 March 2024

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Deadline: 1 March 2024. Exploring the art of self-portraiture as a practice of self-knowing and conscious self-expression for women and non-gender conforming People of Color, Seeing The Self considers how reclaiming a visual narrative through the photographic medium can be a possible healing modality for those so often rendered invisible.
The art of self-portraiture provides a way of confronting our visual presence gently and with intention, seeing the subject not as object but as the embodiment of representation, in a process of becoming and reclaiming agency of one’s identity.
With the self portrait as the artist’s own presentation of self, this open call invites submissions for works that examine the subject through introspective discovery, which unmask what the artists learned about themselves in the process.

The Juror
Kawai Matthews is a director who specializes in storytelling with emotional appeal and an elevated visual style. Whether she’s working on a Netflix special, the BET Awards, ABC’s Global Citizen Festival or the hit Facebook Watch series, Cardi Tries, her combination of skill, vision and work ethic proves to be a winning combination for a versatile range of projects.

A native of southern California, Kawai picked up her first photography camera in high school and later built a career that married her love for the arts, culture, entertainment and portraiture.

Now, as a DGA director working with some of the world’s biggest stars, Kawai has completed projects for BET, ABC, NBC, Netflix, Disney, Meta, Apple Music, Bumble, Nike and other high-profile networks and brands.

For Matthews, the most important aspect of her job is creating space for the talent, crew and collaborators to do their best work. In addition, she approaches each project as fertile ground for visions to come to life, unearthing the magic beneath the surface of each story.

Kawai’s directing skills are complemented by her professional experience as a videographer, editor, photographer, producer and graphic designer. These skill sets inform her directorial work across unscripted series, documentary specials, award shows, multicam live and commercials.

Kawai is a UC Berkeley alum and founder of the creator empowerment brand, Thriving Artist.

Prizes:

In Person Exhibition

Photo Contest Website: http://lacphoto.org/