No. 69: Jenna Saraco
ALTARS, traveling to Sardinia, the older women that surround us, Sophie Calle, and spending time near water.
Jenna Saraco is a New York-based photographer and visual artist. Through research, an exploration of mediums, and a fostered intimacy, she reveals her point of view, imbued with a sensitivity to both the subjects and the objects she works closely alongside. She enjoys creating with her hands, using photography to document the process. Jenna recently published her first photo book with Anyonebooks, inspired by her family’s Italian heritage. From Jenna –
I. a book
I am so excited to announce the publication of my first book ALTARS, inspired by an image taken in 1961 of my father as an altar boy during a transatlantic trip to Italy, and heavily influenced by my grandmother’s home textiles and personal style.
This book is my visual ode to textiles — exploring the antiquity of its daily presence, built on a material language that sews together traditional costume and domestic fabrics from my time in Sardinia.
ALTARS is published by AnyoneBooks, Edited by Yasmine Ganley and Art Directed by Natasha Mead. It can be purchased online at Anyonebooks.com, Tangerine in NYC or Yvon Lambert in Paris.
II. a place
Sardinia is an island that sparked so much in me, and fully captured my heart.
Its culture is so uniquely its own, from its history, costume, language, and food. I eagerly want to return, and hope I get to go back more than once in my lifetime.
III. a older woman
I’ve always been drawn to the beauty, wisdom and energy of older women passing through my life.
My grandmothers were an enormous influence on me as a person, and the artwork I create.
Their experience really shaped my perspective on life, art, and family. Seeing older women on the street is something I love documenting. Seeing their personal style, and wondering their name, who they are, where they’ve been and who they have loved in their lifetime.
IV. an artist
Sophie Calle is an artist that has always inspired me from a young age of 18 and stayed with me ever since. I can always return to her work and find inspiration. Her main tool like mine is photography, but she has a way with documenting life, using language, photo and memory to create new perspectives.
V. a ritual
Being close to a body of water is so important to me. It’s my ritual, and the one thing I can rely on to bring me calm and quiet my mind.
I’ve been documenting this water, these moments for many years, and each one contains its own energy.
BULLETIN
Los Angeles
On view: Nancy Buchanan and Martha Rosler’s Entropy at Charlie James. Doug Aitken’s Lightcape at The Marciano Foundation. Kati Kirsch’s Paper Goods at Cheremoya. Henry Belden’s Conundrum at the Gaylord. Cynthia Talmadge’s Chevy Chase Syndrome at Marc Selwyn. Marcus Leslie Singleton’s Winter Atlantic Summer at The Journal Gallery. Nero’s Youth at Authorized Dealer Gallery. Magnus Frederik Clausen & Yu Nishimura’s Subject Seconds at CASTLE. Tyler Vlahovich’s The Real Story at Chris Sharp. Shota Nakamura’s Small Works (2022 - 2024) at Clearing. Jiro Nigase’s first solo show at Nonaka-Hill. William Eggleston’s The Last Dyes at David Zwirner. Loie Hollowell’s Overview Effect at Pace. Uri Aran’s House at Matthew Brown. Maren Karlson’s Staub (Holes) at Hannah Hoffman. Kenny Rivero’s Posthumously Speaking: Dear Dear Summer Some Are at Morán Morán. Christy Matson’s Index Color at Philip Martin. Sarah Lee’s Quiet Days at Anat Ebgi. Olafur Eliasson: OPEN at MOCA. Group show L.A. Story featuring Ed Ruscha, Florian-Maier-Aichen, David Hockney, and more at Hauser & Wirth.
New York
On view: Group show Garden at Justine Kurland’s studio. Nobuyoshi Araki’s
Les Misérables at Meredith Rosen Gallery. Jack Goldstein at Galerie Buchholz. Noah Davis’ Ancient Reign at David Zwirner. Greg Carideo, Magnus Maxine, and Jay Payton’s naked city at Silke Lindner. Riley Holloway’s Love Galore at Massey Klein. Bennet Schlesinger’s I Too Am at Galerie Timonier. Raul De Lara, Shanique Emelife, Sihan Guo and Tahnee Lonsdale group show at Alexander Berggruen. James Cherry’s From Pollen at TIWA. Pippa Garner’s Misc. Pippa at Matthew Brown. Group show The Writing’s on the Wall: Language and Silence in the Visual Arts at Hill Art Foundation. Janice Biala’s Paris, The Later Years at Tibor de Nagy. Martha Diamond: Deep Time at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum (a bit over an hour drive from Manhattan). Lee Mary Manning’s Kiss of the Sun at Canada. Group show In Praise of Shadows at Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery. Nicholas Sullivan’s Chrysler and Tomascz Kowalski’s Coil at Clearing. Kinship, an exhibition of work by Irving Penn curated by Hank Willis Thomas at Pace Gallery. Jesse Zuo’s My Safe Place: Warmth of the Light and Shadow at Latitude. Fernanda Galväo’s From Where I Am, I Am Already Gone at Lyles & King. Jim Hodges’ Ceremony at Gladstone. Francesco Cima’s Vedrai, Vedrai at Amanita. c. 1987 at Raisonne New York. The Newspaper Ecritures, 2011-23 by Park Seo-Bo — the final body of work created by the artist before his passing — at White Cube. Robert Irwin & Larry Bell’s The 60’s at 125 Newbery. Jane Dickson’s Shifting Landscapes and Edges of Ailey at The Whitney. Henni Alftan’s Stop Making Sense at Karma. Henry Taylor’s no title, Annie Leibovitz’s Steam of Consciousness, and Lorna Simpson’s Earth & Sky at Hauser & Wirth. Álvardo Urbano’s Tableau Vivant at SculptureCenter.
Affection Archives is a weekly look into the archives of yours truly (Arielle Eshel) and people I admire. Follow on Instagram @AffectionArchives.