Just out., June 07, 2002, Page 39, Image 39

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I I I f hate the word ‘normal,’ ” breathes passion-
t* ately from the lips of Portland photograph-
1 er Page Jordan. “What normal is to me is
H everything coming together— not just
someone’s shape, color or what fits neatly into a
box. It’s everything.. .1 want to expand the per­
ception of that which is perceived as normal.”
It is with such passion that she presents her
first Portland solo exhibition, Body & Soul, on
view through June 30 at the Jantzen Beach
Barnes & Noble. Jordan herself is community
relations manager of the store.
Begun in 1992, the series consists of nude
and partially nude black-and-white portraits.
The process of their creation has become a tool
for Jordan’s personal growth and healing
around body image. Her goal in exhibiting and
lecturing about this work, she says, is to cele­
brate the uniqueness of individuals.
native of Richmond, Va., Jordan came to
Portland four years ago with her partner in
^search of a change of scenery. She had long
desired to live somewhere away from the con­
fines of traditional Virginia.
Jordan' has had a camera in her hand ever
since she can recall, she remarks, and has
worked in the field of photography for more
than 20 years. Educated at University of Rich­
mond, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and
“Contemplating the Moment” is one of Jordan’s
photos you will not be seeing at Barnes & Noble
Page's turn
Portland lesbian photographer is searching
for soul through imaging the body
TJ N
by
o r r is
Chicago’s Winona School of Professional Pho­
tography, she also studied art history through­
out Europe and the Mediterranean with the
International Cultural Exchange Schools.
In her teens Jordan was an athlete, but, she
shares, in college her body went through dra­
matic changes. As a result, she was never
naked in front of anyone.
The work actually started when she asked a
gay friend to photograph her nude. Though she
was afraid and still struggling with her own sex­
ual identity at the time, it proved to be a
cathartic experience.
In turn, Jordan’s friend became her first
nude subject. After this experience she began
photographing nudes of people from all walks
of life. In 1995 a Richmond gallery offered her
a solo show; she was both flattered and scared
but decided to do it and include self-portraiture
as an integral part of the series.
A
were involved with the Radical Faerie
movement, and the image is a sensi­
tive depiction of their relationship.
In the 1997 self-portrait “Soulful
Yearning” Jordan places herself in a
sacred spot, her grandmother’s attic.
She sees herself reaching out beyond
our dimension, in a spiritlike ges­
ture. Her grandmother was an artist
who studied at the Maryland Insti­
tute of the Arts circa 1910 and
whose illustrative style lent to a
great sense of musculature in line
drawings of male studio models.
This image, made at a farmhouse
nestled in the Blue Ridge Moun­
tains, has an immediate sense of
domestic warmth.
“I am not a technical photograph­
er,” Jordan insists, believing it’s the
image that is all-important, not the
f-stop or Grayscale system.
All of the Body & Soul images are
8-by-10 or smaller to enhance their
intimacy. “N o two images are the
One of Page Jordan’s self-portraits
same size, as no two bodies are,” Jor­
jects, allowing them to locate a comfort zone
dan says. Only part of the series will be shown
in their nudity.
at Barnes & Noble because of a policy against
The title of the series reflects Jordan’s vision
of the connection between the human
body and the psyche. “The project is
about the body,” she says. “It is like
peeling layers off of an onion.... Part of
the project is having the courage to be
seen with imperfections and all.”
The work of Jordan, who cites
Robert Mapplethorpe as an influence,
reflects a dramatic sense of light and
shadow, which enhances and even
informs every body she shoots. “The
images I make must move me emotion­
ally,” she says. "They may make me
happy, sad or even pissed off." J D
s she assembles some of the images for the
upcoming exhibition, Jordan discusses a
few works in detail. 1996’s “She Feels Pro­
tected” depicts a 64-year-old woman who
“blows my mind," she exclaims.
They met just before the photo shoot. The
woman, a painter, chose the bedroom setting for
an intensely personal reason: to regain control of
her life. This was the place of her own
rape by a man who broke into her home.
Her basset hound, Charlie, was not
initially intended to be in the image, but
once Jordan set up the shot he climbed
atop the bed and made his presence
focal. A ghostly painting in the back­
ground depicts the woman’s deceased
mother. In viewing the image she felt
she was surrounded by protective spirits.
Jordan explains that her story, like
those of many others, is significant to
the work. The image in 1995’s “Hidden
Faces” is of a biracial lesbian couple
who were afraid to show their faces to
the camera. Their fear of public scrutiny
made for a shadowy world of “twenty­
something” women coming to terms
with their sexuality. Even in a short 15- “ She Feels Protected” speaks for itself
minute session, Jordan saw their strug­
he photographs were developed, Jordan
gle and compromised with light and shadow.
explains, as a conduit for people to express
In 1994’s “They Believe in Each Other" she
themselves with their bodies. Locations
photographed a dreadlocked male couple who
were extremely open with their bodies. The men
and even poses were always chosen by the sub­
T
BODY & SOUL is on view through
June 30 at the Jantzen Beach Barnes &
Noble. A reception for the artist will be
held 7 p.m. June 14. Contact Page
Jordan at pjphotoarts@cs com.
TJ NORRIS is a visual artist, writer and curator
living in Portland. You can find his work at
www.tjnorris.net.
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