New photo exhibition at the Ringling Museum of Art shows portraits by Jess T. Dugan

Art & Culture

Pictured: Jess T. Dugan (American, born 1986), Self-portrait (blue room), 2021, pigment inkjet print, 40 x 30 in. Courtesy of the artist.

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art (The Ringling) presents “I Want You To Know My Story” from August 17, 2024, through February 25, 2025, at the Keith D. Monda Gallery of Contemporary Art. The exhibition features the work of renowned contemporary photographer Jess T. Dugan. This solo exhibition includes new photographs from her ongoing series “Look at me like you love me,” which consists of portraits, self-portraits, and still lifes. Dugan’s use of rich textures, vibrant colors, and dramatic lighting evokes a sense of the baroque and gives her interior scenes a strong sense of intimacy. But when COVID restrictions forced Dugan to work outdoors, the artist took his subjects into the landscape to create poignant scenes bathed in the fleeting light of the “golden hour” at sunset. The exhibition also includes two videos, “Letter to My Father” and “Letter to My Daughter.” These works consist of the artist’s autobiographical monologues, reflecting his struggles and discoveries as a gender nonconforming person both as a child and now as a parent.

Pictured: Jess T. Dugan (American, born 1986), Self-portrait (blue room), 2021, pigment inkjet print, 40 x 30 in. Courtesy of the artist.