Artist File
September 17, 2024
Artist File: Caitlin Cronenberg’s Striking Photographs Have A Cinematic Energy
In our Artist File column, art advisor Diana Hamm of WK ART shares the artists that have caught her eye.
The Artist: Caitlin Cronenberg is a Canadian photographer and filmmaker. Having grown up on sets with her legendary father, filmmaker David Cronenberg, it’s no surprise that Caitlin feels at home in the studio. She began her career as an event photographer, later shifting her focus to celebrities. She also works in fine art photography; her stunning images adorn walls across Canada and beyond. Recently, she directed her first film, Humane, an eco-thriller.
CHAOS (2021). 10″ x 14″. $895
The Works: In Words of Mouth, one of her most captivating series, Caitlin highlights mouths biting down on words like “chaos,” “dire” and “classic.” These pieces seek attention as the heavily made-up lips and faces give personality and meaning to each image. Collaborating with famed makeup artist Amy Harper, Caitlin conjures strength in imagery while creating intimate portraits in a zoomed-in, cropped style. The result is edgy and fun. Because you only see the mouths of the women, it allows the viewer to create their own narrative. What’s interesting is that, because there’s such a range in both words and lips, each viewer may be drawn to a different photograph.
Caitlin says the project started during Covid when she and Amy were feeling creatively
stifled, but the original inspiration came from a high school project: Caitlin cut out pieces of paper with the lyrics to a Pink Floyd song and then asked students in the hallways if they’d put one of the words in their mouth while she took their picture. “I’ve always had a fascination with text, so the Words of Mouth project made a lot of sense,” she says. I love that an idea can exist in the world, and that it can linger and be reworked years, if not decades, later by the same artist. It’s exemplary of how art is a living thing, constantly evolving in both how it’s made and how it’s received.
It Is What It Is (2018). 20″ x 30″. $1,500.
What I find so fascinating about Caitlin’s work is that she’s a true collaborator and her mind works on many levels. In her series The Endings, which was conceived and published as a book (Chronicle Books, $45), Caitlin collaborated with art director Jessica Ennis to explore what heartbreak looks like. They worked with renowned actresses including Keira Knightley and Julianne Moore, and wrote them backstories about heartache, infidelities and breakups. Then, they shot portraits that captured the sadness, loneliness, anger and, in time, hope that comes with heartbreak.
In It Is What It Is, Julianne Moore is sitting on a bed in a long gown and it appears as though she’s taking off a necklace. Her head is turned downwards and, yet, you can see the despair on her face. It feels as though the viewer has intruded on a private moment. You want to turn away to give her privacy and comfort her in equal measure. It’s a stunning series that’s moving and human. I think this is what Caitlin excels at — capturing an image that feels incredibly cinematic while evoking relatable emotion.
Photo Call (2012). 20″ x 30″. $1,500.
Caitlin’s series Cannes comprises black and white shots taken in 2012. Photo Call is an amazing image of Cannes Film Festival photographers ready to shoot the cast lines. “The Cannes series was completely reportage style,” says Caitlin. “I would take my camera with me everywhere, sometimes where I wasn’t welcome, and I’d shoot every moment I could. Cannes as a city has a certain feeling of the past, just in the way it exists, but I wanted those images in black and white to give them a more timeless feel. That was my first time experimenting with this shooting style. Anywhere I pointed my camera was a beautiful scene just waiting for me to capture it.”
There’s something very meta about Caitlin photographing photographers, and the end result is perfect — time and place are suspended as we watch the cameras do their work. Reversing the lens makes for an interesting subject and story, and serves as a reminder that, in the film industry, everyone has a part to play.
BROOKLYN (2012).
Collecting: Caitlin has shown with galleries both locally and internationally including Taglialatella Galleries in Toronto and Dorothy Circus Gallery in Rome and London. Her editorial work has been featured in Vanity Fair, Vogue Italia, W Magazine, Esquire and Harper’s Bazaar. Photographs start at $895.
Where to see it: Caitlin recently had an exhibition at The Lobby by Heaps Estrin as part of the Contact Photography Festival. Her film, Humane, was shown in theatres across Canada and is available to stream on demand. Caitlin’s work can be purchased at shop.caitlincronenberg.com and ships worldwide.
Diana Hamm of WK ART is a Toronto art adviser. A graduate of Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London, U.K., Diana focuses on contemporary art and discovering emerging artists. She also advises private clients on acquisitions and collection building. Find out more at wkart.ca.
House & Home