Plant Based Portraits

I have come to see that there are similarities in the ways that women and animals are oppressed, such as bodily autonomy, objectification and commodification. 

In a post-Roe climate, I began to envision a portrait project. During the summer and fall of 2024 I met with a diverse group of individuals, including people of color and LGBTQIA+ folks. We would informally discuss the overlap of women’s rights and animal rights, and then I made a digital photograph. Throughout 2025 I experimented with plant emulsions and exposure, which sometimes took several months. 

This culminated in nine portraits in total, expressed as anthotypes – a suitable medium for the work as it avoids any animal products or chemicals, instead relying on the photosensitive properties of plants. Each is represented in a unique emulsion made from edible plants such as red cabbage, wild blueberry, beetroot.

The exhibition is planned for 2026 and will consist of each person’s anthotype portrait (nine in total) paired with hand-written wall text excerpts from the relevant conversations. The artworks are small, about 4”x6” and framed will be 8”x10”. The text from our conversations is handwritten in walnut or avocado ink from local artisan Indigo in Green. The works may fade or change over the course of the exhibition due to the light sensitive nature of the plant material, which can be interpreted as ideological change and evolution.

The goal is for the audience to come away with a deeper understanding of women’s rights and animal rights and more empathy for both humans and animals. At a minimum I hope to introduce new ideas and discussion about the connection between movements. At best, the project inspires change or even activism.