Catherine, After Treatment, 2008 by Melissa Rene Kaseman

The bulk of Melissa Kaseman's submission addresses momentous events in her life, although this may not be immediately obvious to the viewer. Her photographs, made with skill and precision, appear—for the most part—serene and beautiful. Their titles, however, speak of aging, disease and of death, where the images do not communicate so bluntly.

This series is both strikingly intimate, and yet manages to maintain a distance, never becoming invasive or voyeuristic. Kaseman allows the people that she portrays to retain some privacy and independence. In her only direct portrait, Catherine, After Treatment, her subject faces the camera, yet keeps her eyes closed. The title, and the woman's closely shorn hair indicate illness; we as viewers have been allowed into this private space to witness her vulnerability. Still, we are denied full access to Catherine, because her eyes are concealed and we can't see the one thing that (one might argue) makes her really her.

Morning of 30th Birthday, 2004 by Melissa Rene Kaseman

Likewise, in Morning of 30th Birthday we are provided with a fragmented, incomplete portrait: we see a tender close-up of just part of the torso and arm of a figure in bed, (perhaps the artist's significant other, still asleep?) We are given the faintest impression of a cozy, domestic scene, and a the title conveys a sense of the artist taking stock of her life on an important day.

Kaseman writes of her work:

At a young age my home became divided, my memories fragmented, my recollections organized by season. Photography became a way for me to ground myself, and explore themes concerning loss, illness, nostalgia, intimacy, and hope. Interested in photography's capability to suspend moments, which are often over looked or forgotten, left only to be sensed when a memory is triggered, I use photography as a language to visually describe the moments that are significant to my life experience...Although the work is a direct reflection of myself, and my life experience, I aim to tell a poetic, open narrative. The photographs are meant to be quiet and contemplative, evoking a mood within the viewer, rather than revealing everything.

The Eve of Her Death, 2009 by Melissa Rene Kaseman

To some extent, Melissa's work recalls that of Félix González-Torres. Though Kaseman's approach and artistic vehicle is admittedly quite different, the manner in which she poetically addresses and evokes deeply personal experiences reminds me of Gonzalez-Torres' work addressing the death of his partner, Ross. (For example, in an untitled candy "spill" piece, produced immediately after Ross' death due to AIDS, the initial, ideal weight of the work is 175lbs—Ross' own ideal weight. As viewers remove candies, the pile diminishes, mimicking and reflecting his loss of weight due to illness.)

It is Kaseman's ability to gracefully and respectfully address change, sickness, pain and loss in a manner that can resonate with a wider audience, that I feel links her to González-Torres. This drive to create something that is simultaneously both private yet undeniably inclusive, represents the potential for art to connect people and to transform suffering into something beautiful and perhaps ultimately redemptive.

More of Kaseman's work from this same series, and from others can be viewed on her website.