Jonathan Maldonado

Lives and works in New York City, NY, USA

Artist statement

'Palemon' This project is a study of my father, Palemon. It is a look into the figure that shadowed over my family as he drank away from reality. It is also a look into the peaceful, solemn person he became as he struggled for sobriety. 'Martina' Sifting through family photographs, I came across images containing familiar faces, whose bodies were dressed, propped, and posed for the camera. Whether the photographer directed them or the subjects had autonomy wasn’t always clear, but what was clear was that they remained beautiful nonetheless. I felt it was fitting to replicate this style into a project that I was currently working on about my mother, Martina. This project is a documentation of my mother as we bond closer through our personal and economic struggles. With the same adoration and attention in the family photographs, I document my mother as she ages, as she becomes something less and something more at the same time.

Artwork