CHERYL ADEN

ARTIST STATEMENT:

My training and background as an actress laid the groundwork for my emphasis on visual storytelling. I have always been interested in discovering different points of view by making connections that are not immediately apparent, and in finding the interconnectedness of people, behavior, objects and ideas.

I find still life photography the most compelling method to explore the themes that intrigue me. In my images, organic life often takes center stage, where fruits, vegetables or plants “pose” for formalized portraits, as I explore the drama and sensuosity of the natural world. My subjects are often “stands-ins” for humanity. Whether ripe, luscious and vibrant, or molding, rotten and decaying – all tell a story about life, inclusiveness, process and inevitability. 

Always a bit of the rebel, I attempt to challenge traditional notions of beauty, highlighting what is discarded as well as what is saved, what is mundane and commonplace as well as the extraordinary.

Bio:

Cheryl Aden is a New York City-based fine art photographer.  Having originally trained and worked as an actress and singer, she segued to a role behind the camera when she left the theatre and film world to concentrate on photography.  Cheryl studied at the International Center of Photography, where she also served as a Teaching Assistant.  Recent exhibitions include “Look This Way” at JVS Project Space (2022), “Spliced Connections” at Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning (2022), “Women Celebrate Women” at El Barrio’s Artspace PS109 (2020 and 2021) and juried virtual exhibits at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod, The Chateau Gallery and Gallerium’s Cancer: Never Give Up 2022.  Her photographs can be found in private collections nationwide.

Cheryl is also a member of SHIM Art Network: Spliced Connector and the New York Artists Circle, and is exhibited in several of their curated exhibits.  In the fall of 2022, Cheryl co-curated Seeing Music, a virtual exhibit for the New York Artists Circle.  Her book about the disintegration of truth, “Apples & Oranges … A Photographic Essay,” was published in 2021.