.jpg)
May 8th, 29th, and June 4th, 2020 in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
Image 1: “Mom Giving Dad a Haircut” taken on May 8th, 2020.
Image 2: “Marcia Holding Package” taken on May 29th, 2020.
Image 3: “Untitled (OD Scar Two Years Later) taken on June 4th, 2020.
Photographs by artist Lauren Taubenfeld
A note from the artist: “When Covid essentially forced New York City to shut down, I was fortunate enough to be presented with the option of moving in with my parents indefinitely back where I grew up in Puerto Rico during this mandatory isolation period. Personally, I have always been an introvert and have never been too keep on being outside. This may be partially because I’ve been struggling with depression for quite some time. This isolation period has had a positive effect on me in the sense that I am now surrounded by loved ones. I am able to make work that is personal and intimate without actually leaving the house. While this may seem counterproductive for someone with a depressive personality, I’ve been feeling more productive than I have been in a long time. Making portraits teaches me to look and feel things on a deeper level which inherently demands empathy. I can’t help but feel that the most important variable that’s responsible for taking a good portrait is intimacy and empathy. This, of course, is subjective but it’s hard to imagine you can make an emotionally compelling portrait without the ability to perceive underlying emotion in others to then translate onto a photograph. While sheltering in place I have been making self-portraits and portraits of the family members I am now cohabitating and collaborating with. These images are all depicting family members and loved ones of mine sheltering in place. The resulting portraits offer access into my subjects’ private lives as I strive to capture the mental state or current emotion that this pandemic has brought upon them.”