In Conversations with Myself, Jo Ann Chaus constructs a complex visual narrative of introspection and identity.
The series unfolds as an intimate yet exposed journey, where the artist turns the camera toward herself not to perform, but to investigate the layers of self shaped by memory, expectation and experience.
Through carefully staged photographs, rich in props, costume and controlled lighting, Chaus frames herself as both subject and observer, navigating the space between personal history and cultural inheritance.
Unlike many self portraitists who use the camera to create fictional identities or dramatic transformations, Chaus approaches the medium as a tool of excavation. Her images are rooted in an introspective desire to confront the suppressed or overlooked aspects of the self. As she has described it, she enters a “dream like state of mental suspension” when creating these photographs, allowing subconscious associations and emotional echoes to guide the process.
In these scenes she appears composed and deliberate, never passive. Titles such as Green Dress, White Sheets and Kitchen Sink reinforce this directness, grounding the images in ordinary objects that quietly carry psychological weight. Her controlled use of pose and gaze suggests narratives that extend beyond the frame. Absence becomes as significant as presence, while the modulation of light introduces a sense of temporality in which past and present merge into a continuous psychological landscape.
Chaus’ visual language often recalls the atmosphere of film noir. Through chiaroscuro and carefully orchestrated interiors, the photographs evoke mystery, ambiguity and emotional tension. Works such as Pink Bedroom and Brooklyn carry a heavy, contemplative mood, suggesting stories that are only partially revealed.
Mirrors and reflections recur throughout the series, functioning as symbols of dual identity and self awareness. They also serve as a mechanism of control. The viewer cannot look without sensing that the artist is either returning the gaze or directing what may be seen. Even when she is absent from the frame, objects and domestic interiors assume symbolic roles. In photographs such as Ode to Elvis, still life elements echo the tradition of vanitas, not as reminders of physical mortality but of emotional and psychological presence.
As the series evolves, some images move beyond interior spaces into outdoor settings. These transitions subtly shift the tone, introducing moments of quiet irony and restrained humor. Photographs such as Stepping Off, Yellow Coat and Stone Wall reveal a lighter register within the narrative, though the underlying tension between expectation and self determination remains.
Chaus’ work also speaks to the experience of her generation, women born in the 1950s whose lives were shaped by inherited social roles. Her use of clothing, particularly dresses drawn from mid twentieth century styles, reflects these cultural expectations. These garments suggest identities historically assigned to women: wife, mother, caretaker, muse. Yet they also carry deeper associations with class, behavior and the performance of femininity. In this sense, Chaus engages in a form of symbolic dress up, echoing the imaginative play through which girls begin to understand the social codes attached to appearance and identity.
Color plays a central role in the series. Saturated tones reminiscent of Kodachrome photography evoke the influence of the New Color movement, using vivid hues to transform ordinary environments into psychologically charged spaces. Rather than offering resolution, however, these images sustain a quiet tension. The viewer moves through the sequence repeatedly, searching for answers that remain deliberately unresolved.
Across the body of work, the autobiographical dimension gradually expands beyond the artist herself. The figure in the photographs begins to represent a broader collective experience, reflecting the emotional burdens often carried by women navigating the expectations of family, sacrifice and self realization. In doing so, Chaus opens a space for identification. The viewer is invited to momentarily replace the artist within the frame, transforming the work into a shared reflection on identity and possibility.
Developed over more than a decade, Conversations with Myself evolved from a private dialogue between artist and camera into a sustained investigation of female identity. Within the series, Chaus inhabits multiple archetypes shaped by inherited expectations and internalized roles. Though she built an independent professional life, she recognized how deeply the ideals of her mother’s generation continued to influence her sense of self.
Creating these images became a process of excavation. Beneath the polished surfaces of mid twentieth century domestic imagery, the characters reveal subtle resistance and vulnerability. Vintage dresses and personal objects function as vessels of memory, layering individual experience with a broader cultural history.
The project, Conversations with Myself, which will be published in 2026 under the title Unspoken, ultimately becomes a narrative of self reclamation. It documents the slow emergence of agency and awareness, revealing how photography can function not only as representation but also as a means of transformation.
About Jo Ann Chaus
Jo Ann Chaus is an American artist based in New York. She came to photography after a successful career as a women’s fashion buyer and merchandiser. Her childhood home was a cornucopia of colors, patterns, textures, and beautiful objects.
In the early 2000s, when she returned to photography, she discovered a sense of freedom and delight in the world around her, anthropomorphizing found objects in the landscape and imbuing them with emotion. With her first self portrait in 2013, she experienced a profound shift, seeing herself as if for the very first time. Fascinated by this experience, she began pursuing a deeply personal exploration of identity through self portraiture.
Subconscious memories began to surface through her often playful impersonations of different female characters. The work reflects her journey of discovery, where the past gradually layers itself over the present. Over time, her focus moved away from direct self portraiture toward more abstract imagery, raising existential questions about beauty, complexity, and the mysteries of life.
Chaus was raised on Long Island, received a BA in Business from Boston University, ran a retail business in New Jersey for twenty years, and raised two daughters. She is an alumna of the International Center of Photography in New York and has exhibited both in the United States and internationally. Her recognitions include Critical Mass Top 50 in 2024 and 2023, Top 200 from 2018 to 2022, Aperture Portfolio Prize finalist in 2024, and the Julia Margaret Cameron Award Overall Winner in April 2024. [Official Website]
