Show & Tell: Jess T. Dugan
A new interview series featuring artists and the things that inspire them
I wrote about a new project I was developing a few weeks ago: an interview series focused on talking with artists about their creative work and what inspires it. I’m delighted to release the first installment, an extended conversation with photographer Jess T. Dugan. I will publish more of these Q&As in the coming weeks — Please suggest artists you think I should interview. As always, you can reply to this email or write to me directly. I hope you like this. Enjoy!
Tell us about yourself. Where are you from, and where do you live now?
Hi Andy! I was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, spent my childhood in Little Rock, Arkansas, came of age in Cambridge, Massachusetts, moved to Chicago for grad school, and am now in St. Louis, where I’ve lived for ten years. I love living in the Midwest, but the East Coast feels like home. I travel a lot and am fortunate to spend time in many different places.
Could you describe your photography? What inspired you to pursue this art form?
For the last twenty years, I’ve worked primarily with photography and have been focused on portraiture. My own life and identity inform my work, which often centers on gender and sexuality. Recently, I’ve been moving in an increasingly subjective, poetic direction. At this moment, I’m interested in the idea of personhood and all of the complexities that define a life — things like love, desire, family, beauty, and loss. I was fortunate to find artmaking early, in high school. As soon as I discovered photography, I was obsessed. I started my BFA in Photography when I was 17, and it’s been full speed ahead since then.
Do you have a particular approach to imagemaking? What’s your style?
My style is intimate, subjective, and formal. I’m deeply influenced by art history—particularly portrait paintings — and combine a classical style of photographing with contemporary subject matter. I also follow my intuition and work viscerally and responsively. Every photograph I make reflects who I am at that moment and the questions I’m wrestling with in my personal life.
Are you working on any projects at the moment?
Yes, several! I work on serial and long-term projects, and one idea morphs into the next. I am working on new portraits and still-life images for the next chapter of Look at me like you love me (which was a second chapter following an earlier body of work, Every Breath We Drew). I consider this series my ongoing, lifelong soul work—making photographs regularly is how I understand myself and connect to the world around me. I published Look at me like you love me in 2022 with MACK. I anticipate making another book of these newer pictures, but probably not for many more years, as I like to give the work time to develop and evolve.
I am also working on another long-term project, Family Pictures, which I began in 2012. This series includes me, my daughter Elinor, Elinor’s mother (and my former partner) Vanessa, and my mom and her wife, Chris. The work includes three generations; I’m interested in the complexity of being the adult child of an aging lesbian parent and the nonbinary parent of a young child. The passage of time is integral to this work. I anticipate publishing a book in 15 years or so when Elinor is an adult. I have been exhibiting this series for the past two years, and it has received a strong response from museums and other institutions.
Alongside Family Pictures, I have also created two autobiographical videos, Letter to My Father, which explores my estranged relationship with my father, and Letter to My Daughter, which focuses on my journey to parenthood and my experiences throughout the first five years of Elinor’s life. I released Letter to My Daughter this past fall, and it has been exhibited in London and Santa Fe so far and will be included in several museum exhibitions in 2024.
I’m interested in storytelling and creating more immersive experiences in book form and the exhibition space. In addition to photography, I’m increasingly working with text, video, sound, drawing, and installation.
How do you stay inspired?
I stay inspired by living a full and rich life (or trying to, as much as possible). I read books, listen to music, spend time with friends and loved ones, and go on a lot of walks. In recent years, I’ve found that moving my body is integral to my creative practice. After a relatively isolated few years, I’m trying to engage with the world around me and prioritize relationships that fuel and inspire me. Also, I’m trying to (finally) learn to rest.
Tell us about an artist who has intrigued you recently.
I was on Bainbridge Island in Washington a few months ago and went to the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. I discovered a painting by Grace Athena Flott that stopped me in my tracks. It was called Glow up (Portrait of Alizé) and is part of a series called New Icons, in which Grace paints portraits of burn survivors. I loved it so much that I reached out to her to see if I could buy it, but it was sadly out of my budget. We are now connected, though, and I’m excited to follow along with her work and career. I think of that specific painting often.
Show us a picture that moved you recently. Tell us about it.
This is a tough one, as photographs and other artworks often move me. I’ll go with a recent addition to my collection, Eden and Emmanuelle, the first month, 2004, by Elinor Carucci. I have admired Elinor’s work for a long time and have always been drawn to this image. It now lives in my dining room, and I feel grateful to see it every day.
Do you like music? What have you been listening to lately?
I do. Music is important to me and influences my work. I gravitate toward songwriters who are storytellers. My two longtime favorites are Lori McKenna and Brandi Carlile. Recently, I’ve been listening to William Prince and Beyoncé (along with everyone else!). In the mornings, when I’m drawing, I often listen to quiet instrumental music.
I collect photography books. Can you recommend a photobook that you love?
I love so many books—I have an extensive collection myself. I love the democratic nature of books and that you can experience them quietly in the privacy of your own home. They can be so intimate. Again, I’ll go with a recent addition to my collection, Kelli Connell’s Pictures for Charis, published by Aperture.
Can you recommend any good books?
Yes, I’ve been reading a lot recently. I’ve been particularly drawn to memoirs. Recent favorites include Melissa Febos’s Abandon Me, Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, and Kelle Groom’s I Wore the Ocean in the Shape of a Girl. I also loved all four of Yung Pueblo’s books, The Right to Write by Julia Cameron and Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. I’ve been doing a lot of creative writing recently and suspect I may be writing a memoir.
Finally, show us something cool not related to photography. Surprise us!
I’m working on a new series of drawings of flowers and plants, made early in the morning before my daughter awakes. This is a long-term, meditative project reflecting on existential questions: what makes a life worth living? How do you reconcile immense love with the risk of loss? How can I be the best version of myself for my child? How can I stay present when things are difficult?
Alongside the drawings, I’ve been writing short texts similar to those in Look at me like you love me, which reflected on relationships, solitude, family, loss, healing, and the transformations that define a life. The writing is a significant element of the work.
The new texts I’m writing, which will accompany my drawings, are primarily directed to Elinor. The project has quickly presented itself as a love letter to her. I’m excited to work in a new medium and look forward to seeing how this project develops.
About the artist
Jess T. Dugan (b. 1986, Biloxi, MS) is an artist and writer who explores the complexities of personhood, relationships, desire, love, and family. While their practice is centered around photography, it includes writing, video, sound, drawing, and installation. Their work is informed by their own life experiences, including their identity as a queer and nonbinary person. It reflects a deep belief in the importance of representation and the transformative power of storytelling.
Their work is exhibited internationally and is in the permanent collections of over 60 museums. Their monographs include Look at me like you love me (MACK, 2022), To Survive on This Shore: Photographs and Interviews with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Older Adults (Kehrer Verlag, 2018), and Every Breath We Drew (Daylight Books, 2015). They are the recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant and an ICP Infinity Award and were selected by the Obama White House as LGBT Artist Champion of Change.
They live and work in St. Louis, Missouri. Follow them on Instagram @jesstdugan.
This was great, Andy. I met Jess recently in Tucson, now I feel like I'm seeing them everywhere! I've quickly become a big fan of their work, and I likewise really appreciate Kelli's work.
This is really great! Really enjoyed learning about Jess and their art