Chloe Jakiela

The concept of otherness and notion of the other has existed for centuries in a variety of contexts. Innately, the flawed existence of humanity has raised questions concerning otherness since early times. The concept of the other at its simplest, includes the issue of humans creating and developing preconceived judgements of one another. These judgements in their rawest form of labeling someone as the other, and identifying differently, include the questioning of ethnicity, race, gender or sexuality. Additionally, religion and political views often play a harsh role in human identification.

Oth-er-ness examines the concept of otherness and the other as a means to start new conversations. This project can serve as a call to action, intended to create a dialogue between people who may view each other as the other or exhibiting  otherness. As an ongoing project, the portraits are meant to become an evolving conversation about what otherness means to a variety of different people from different lifestyles, even as politicians and religious leaders enter and leave office.