Young Photographer Constructs Coming of Age Tale With Her Contemporaries

Elena Montemurro is a graduating senior at Parsons School for Design. Selections from her series Coming of Age are currently on view at MILK Gallery in NYC as part of the Parsons BFA Photography Thesis Exhibition. Montemurro’s work stands out in this group show because the world she captures is vividly colored, and the moments she chooses are all very relatable in one way or another. Constructing precarious scenarios à la David Lynch, these pubescent tableaux leave us hanging, waiting to know what happens next.

“The project came from a habit of always photographing my friends and staging them. Over time I discovered my obsession with the idea of being a teenager. Coming of Age was a theme I noticed in all the films I would watch, being able to relate to these characters made me want to explore my own world of characters. Using memories from past experiences I staged pictures based off a loose narrative. I generally try to explore emotions within these characters and try to express some of my own anxieties from growing up in my generation.”

Feature Shoot Contributing Editor Matthew Leifheit is an independent writer, curator, and photographer based in New York City.

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