Sandra Klein
What is it like to be a female photographer working in California?
I went to a fine art school where men ruled. Most artwork made by women was ridiculed and considered insignificant. Today, I live in a photography community in Los Angeles that is generous towards and open to talented women and it means the world to me. My work is for everyone, but gender is a theme and I am thrilled to receive an incredible amount of support. I create my art in isolation, with my dog Roxy by my side, but the day to day connection with other male and female photographers and artists, socially and professionally, is always gratifying and keeps me upbeat during difficult periods.
In a glimpse Sandra Klein’s work evokes a curiosity either about her view of the world or her magical mindset. There is a map to her personal history in her art that shows a personal struggle and vulnerability that an audience can empathize with. Her works draw the observer into a creative narrative; real or imagined, a journey down the rabbit hole to search introspectively begins.
Klein’s own silhouettes and vivid colors begin the narrative that the viewer is left to complete based on one’s own visceral emotion. The viewer finds themselves empathizing with her vulnerabilities. Klein’s identity within the works is prevalent, though her image falls to the background in the busy energy as the viewer reaches beyond the surface of the first glance. The allure of something more soulful in the imagery is what the viewer begins to explore.
The focus of Klein’s work reaches beyond physical body and investigates the universe of the mind. Her work asks the viewer to open the shutters of the mind and focus on the composition of what lies within. Klein carefully layers imagery of mental health, spirituality, and the challenges of the human body as it ages. She urges the viewer to empathize through a journey of gray matter mapped out. One soon discovers more of themselves in her mindful projections. Between the medulla filled overgrowth of foliage, representations of the dense thoughts and memories of the human brain are shown. Both Klein and the viewer share these attributions. Klein’s well-constructed chaos is relatable to our own cerebral universe. Her works open paths of dialogue that share universal truths about the fears of the minds unknowns.
Our collective worries, knowledge, and emotions are sewn together much like the cortexes in her works. We identify with her through elements of our memory, imagination, and curiosities. Regardless of our gender, age or race, Klein celebrates contemplations of the mind and cements a colloquial truth that there is beauty in brains.
Tiffany Talavera is a graduate of MSc program at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. A California native, she has studied Contemporary Art, Curating, and Criticism and works with urban contemporary artists in the Los Angeles area. She has written for the Talbot Rice Gallery and Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh