A 22-year-old photographer, Jade Cervetti lives in Nice. In her works, she explores the body or rather the bodies in their diversity. Her photographs are an imprint of poetry combined with fragments of stories. Stories of human beings questioning their identity, their rights, and their desires; Jade’s message is also political. Over lunch, we meet a young artist who wants to make society move.
“I have always been somewhat in the artistic world before getting interested in photography. I am a musician first and foremost; when I was younger, I played the harp and trumpet in music class. In the end, I completely moved away from music studies. I preferred to be interested in performance in a broad sense, and gradually, into gender studies,” Jade tells me. Today, working in Civic Service within the association Le Refuge, she already holds a dual degree in Ethnology of Living Arts and is completing two master’s degrees this year, one of which is in gender studies.
“It’s difficult to say exactly when I started photography. About 4 years ago, I was photographing friends as an amateur. I just wanted to immortalize moments that pleased me and make them aesthetic; I wasn’t doing photography in the strictest sense. It was by getting interested in gender studies, about a year and a half ago, that I realized the political dimension and meaning I wanted to infuse into my work,” she explains. Particularly committed to the LGBT cause, Jade tries to challenge social norms related to femininities and masculinities. The series published on her Instagram account shows the plurality of bodies and attitudes, far beyond usual representations and frameworks.
“I found that with the emerging feminist movements, little was said about masculinities. Ultimately, men are just as much victims of patriarchy as we are. I wanted to show different sensitivities and varied corporealities, all in an artistic way. I haven’t finished my series on masculinities yet, because for now, I am only photographing cisgender men, but I would like to create photos on trans identity or with somewhat more intersectional measures and other minorities,” she specifies.
To achieve such a result, Jade develops an intimate relationship with her models, who often are or become friends. As she is part of the LGBT community, she more easily creates affinities and establishes a trustful connection with people she would like to photograph. This friendly relationship is the cornerstone that allows her to overcome natural shyness in front of a lens.
“I want to show that masculinity is not necessarily virile and that it can be defined in various ways. I really enjoy playing with corporealities, I try to bring a performative touch to the bodies I photograph. Right now, for example, I’m focusing on different body parts, to show its complexity, as a metaphor for the complexity faced by masculinity. Sometimes I make portraits that tell a story. One of a gay man, or bi, or pan, or simply reflections on the LGBT cause and rights,” says Jade.
To prepare her shoots, the photographer uses several techniques shaped through practice. When it comes to her recurring models, she prefers listening and tries to express their opinions through photography. If ideas come to her, she seeks such and such an accessory or location and asks her models to take specific photos. Finally, everything can happen spontaneously, an instant photo taken in the present moment. Juggling between several methods is also part of the artistic creation process, always keeping a political impact undeniable.
“Nowadays, there is a huge media exposure. Photos are easier to take and to view. We can showcase them publicly, we can convey messages much more simply. I try to bring out a performance in my photos, and it should be known that the performance of gender or identity facilitates acceptance. Art is a way to move things forward politically. When a message is shown aesthetically, it’s easier to consider it from just that perspective before it becomes political. It becomes easier to defuse a conflict and to convey an idea more gently,” explains Jade.
Some of her photos have been exhibited in Nice, as well as in the United States in Los Angeles and New York. Contrary to what one might instinctively think, given certain current tensions in society, Jade’s intimate frescoes do not provoke negative reactions. On the contrary, the feedback is positive and strengthens her determination to continue her photographic approach. Even if her career project is not directly related to her passion, Jade would like to continue to exercise her talent in her career, if only to deliver a political message so necessary today.
“We are going through a very complex period regarding these issues, the advancement of rights is quite phenomenal. In France, homosexual couples now have the right to marry, but the more rights progress, the more people opposing them express themselves. The emergence of the Queer movement is very important in my opinion, as it is a performative and very political movement. It will represent the rights of LGBTQI+ people as something that is not guaranteed and still needs to progress. It is increasingly integrating into the popular environment, and that is very important for the advancement of rights. In a very subtle way, this movement manages to democratize all of this. It is through inclusivity and intersectionality that we can achieve global change,” she concludes.
