Judita Juknelė
- Editor at Titan Contemporary Publishing
- Nov 27
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 29
Judita Juknelė is a figurative and portrait photographer who has exhibited in Lithuania and Rome. Recent exhibition include Jonava Cultural Center in Lithuania, and Space - Millepiani in Rome. She has been published and received award recognitions from platforms such as The Knights of Art, Annual Urban 20205 Photo Awards, and Lumen Art Gallery. She describes her process as the following: “I don’t use AI for creating my pictures. These works are created just with using Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop. Everything is real. Even the banana peel and small leaves on the street is photographed separately and added to the picture. I use a Sony A99 camera with 135mm lens and there is a story behind these images”.
Through digital manipulation and careful, masterful control of light, Judita Juknelė creates photographs which often have the effect of chiaroscuro reminiscent of Baroque era paintings, such as the work of Caravaggio. These classically-inspired photographs depict contemporary figures amidst fine and colourful satin and linen fabric followed by dark and misty interiors. Some of these pieces contain ironic circumstances, such as the current instance contained inside framed photography within the photograph. Such characters often obscure their faces through various poses which reflect emotional sensory experiences such as sorrow, melancholiness, and solitude. The ominous lighting and chiaroscuro high contrast of the photographs often accentuate these traits and expressions.
These photographs by Judita Juknelė convey a deeper purpose than their initial appearance. Upon a first impression, the photographs could be mistaken as simple portraiture, however there remains a subtle theatrical element to each piece through isolated behavior and conceptual practice. The actors often interact with objects as if they were toys and the figure were a curious child-like entity. Such expression of curiosity amidst the dark and morbid sfumato atmosphere in the air and lighting effects reflect a loss of innocence or deep penetration indicating social disturbance. With a sense of isolation, these actors engage with themselves, not the audience viewing the photograph. Judita’s figures intentionally peer away from the camera and engage in behavior which could be regarded as anti-social, such as covering one’s eyes with flowers with Victorian-like garb or slipping off the table in the nude, with only a subtle linen fabric hiding portions of the anatomy. Carefully crafted and meticulous, each piece is highly conceptual and conveys a narrative based on illuminating an actors presence on the isolated stage.
Frame (pictured above) depicts a woman holding a replica of the scene within the photograph. She hides herself within this confined room and sits instead of standing, indicating a restful posture od solace. Such a piece, especially with the motif of the red cactus, could be an expression of erasure of individuality. As a result, the photograph is an expression of anti-social and anti-commercial practices. Typically a commercial aspect would require the actor to engage in desirable behavior for the audience, but Frame clearly indicates non-compliance.
A mysterious photographer, Judita Juknelė advances the realm of portrait and figurative photography to reveal circumstances of ominous morbidity and foreshadowing. Like a fine written story and dramatic production of theatre, these photographs illuminate, both literally and figuratively, figures who engage in anti-recreational activity similar to performance art. These performative actions are conceptual and express an aptitude for studying the deepest aspects of human psychology through actors engaging with still lifes and carefully orchestrated props to reveal a bridge and disconnection with the past. The Baroque references in the atmosphere and lighting of the photography intentionally dictates the nihilism and despair of time, both from a historical perspective and one based on personal experiences.
