Chessa Subbiondo Could Be Anyone
Her selection of subjects is not based on finding those who resemble her; she doesn’t consider herself “moldable” enough. Instead, she’s drawn to people who look like “they could be from anywhere,” with no time or location stamp on them whatsoever.
Ironically, her Instagram account is filled with girls who are almost immediately recognizable — Charli XCX, Emma Chamberlain, Luna Blaise, Chloe Cherry, and Addison Rae to name a few. However, something about Chessa’s lens severs them from their familiar digital identities. Her photographs transcend the immediate recognizability of those verging on the realm of celebrity, offering a kind of invisibility against the objectification femme-identifying people often experience when perceived, especially online.
She reflects on her own digital persona, quipping that “it’s a very weird thing… being a girl in 2023 while also trying to put out art.” There’s a dissonance between these two aspects of her identity, culminating in her instinct to limit how much she showcases images of herself.
Out of Chessa’s 25 Instagram posts, only three include images of her. Of her limited selection of self-portraits, the most recent is an enigmatic photograph of a poster on her bed. On the poster is herself in a black long-sleeve tee and black shorts, posing with a Smart Water Bottle, as if simulating the action of actually laying on her bed with a water bottle. Captionless, there’s no hint or suggestion as to what it could mean, leaving it open to the perception of her audience, which is what happens to her work anyways — being on the internet.
Her photos have even outgrown social media — being featured in magazines and exhibitions — most recently, a cover story with King Kong magazine, and Anonymous gallery’s “Photography Then”, an exhibition curated by K. O. Nnamdie earlier this year. Her contribution to the exhibition portrayed some of the characteristics being brought to the forefront of American image-making currently — a simulation of the past. Chessa’s photography offers a snapshot as to the way in which cultural signifiers are flattened within our screens, rendered contextless and malleable.
Within her work, it’s American references — brands, eras, and iconic moments in pop culture — but rather than capitalizing on what’s trendy, she focuses on what isn’t, the “boring” in our everyday — as in minimal patterns, sportswear, emotionless gestures — enabling the absurd to emerge out of the ordinary.
Like most of us, she’s more comfortable being photographed by a friend, like with these shots Lulu Syracuse took around Los Angeles in the areas they grew up in.
The photos are Lulu's vibe, but also so Chessa's; in them, she could be anyone.
