Absorbing The Self

Like several of Jessica M. Tobolski’s self-portraits, this image is untitled. She deliberately hides her face and adds complexity through layering. As the artist, she’s interested in how the viewer interprets the work, even to the point of allowing the viewer “to see themselves, if they want. I want the viewer to feel what they want to feel about it, because I’ve had people express completely different ideas about some of my work, and I was just blown away,” she said. “And I’m, like, I can see that now!” Although she’s a trained fine art photographer, Tobolski, who is experimenting with mobile phone photography, doesn’t like to direct models. Self-portraits free her. “It’s actually easier than trying to direct other people, because I can just naturally go into all these different poses.” instagram.com/jmtobolski