Justine Roche

Justine Roche’s work explores early photographic processes such as the wet collodion process or ‘tintype’ photography. She is drawn to this medium for its unpredictability and timeless aesthetic. Here / Now (2019) comprises 65 portraits of female art students who graduated from the National Art School in 2019.

Each image is directly exposed onto a metal plate and Roche’s sitters must hold a still expression while the photographic alchemy occurs. The result is ‘unique and inimitable’ writes Roche, ‘there are no negatives, no digital prints, no second chances’.

Images: Justine Roche, Here / Now, 2019, tintypes, 120 x 190 cm (overall); 10.16 x 12.7 cm (each), National Art School Collection, purchased 2019 © the artist