Justyna Badach
Bachelor Portraits

Justyna Badach | Bachelor Portraits

Justyna Badach’s Bachelor Portraits are far more than a study on the subject, they are a reflection on the rapport between artist and subject and rattle the rigid frameworks of masculine identity. This work is smart and compassionate. It challenges preconceptions of type-cast societal “outsiders” as it reverses the traditional gender roles of the artist-model relationship.

The portrait of a man in his living space appears paired with text that “expand[s] the meaning contained within the photographic frame and create[s] a direct point of contact between my own humanity and that of the man. They reveal what the camera cannot, what the men said, and what I felt,"explains Badach in an essay by Dr. Pamela J. Warner for a 2012 Blue Sky Gallery exhibition catalog. Badach’s process underlines the collaborative nature of the artist-subject relationship, and elevates above simple observation.

Society guides our initial perceptions of these men- at first glance we may cast these bachelors as strange, introverted, loners. Justyna Badach’s text makes us aware of our tendency to pass such undue judgement. Her approach wares-down any rigid expectations of a “typical” masculine framework. We are struck by the nuance of each man’s personally-constructed identity. The potency of each man’s persona is amplified by their space and disarmed by Badach’s text, which both grounds and liberates our connection to the men. Badach’s use of text thus enriches our viewership, making us aware of her (female gaze and) presence in the image. Through this act, Justyna Badach interrogates traditional (male)artist-(female)model roles via the relationship between words and photos. The result is an emotional viewership experience, an acknowledgment of the artist, yet direct exchange between subject and viewer. Compassion rises, and is met by a twinge of uneasiness between ourselves and the subject. We are surprised and comforted to discover a power in such tender, intimate depictions of the male gender. These stories are to be cradled not possessed.

Justyna Badach | Bachelor Portraits

Kirk, 2007
Charlie, 2009
Robert, 2009

Bachelor Portraits by Justyna Badach | Price Structure:
30 x 23 in. archival pigment print | 7 x 23 in. text
Edition of 3 | $2,000