The women in Zhang Jingna’s photographs look so pristine that at a first glance, they appear painted. The New York-based artist styles them in flowing, ruffled gowns and adorns them with flowers and jewels.
Her models pose in ways that evoke classic female characters from different eras. One woman lies with flowers scattered about her like Shakespeare’s Ophelia did as she drowned in the river. Another evokes a Catholic saint, poised, long-necked, and dressed in white with a thin halo framing her head. Zhang’s characters languish in a romanticized melancholia that adds enigma to their physical beauty.
Zhang is currently featured in the group show “Your Favorite Artist’s Favorite Artist,” on view at Joshua Liner Gallery through December 20.
Lebanese photographer 
San Francisco-raised artist Kat Toronto blends performance art and photography under the working name of 
German photographer 
Life truly imitates art in this set of photos of models recreating some of Austrian symbolist Gustav Klimt's most famous paintings. The images were taken earlier this year for the Life Ball in Vienna, Europe's biggest charity fundraiser, which went "gold" in support of people with HIV or AIDS. "To awaken a spirit of optimism, liveliness and activity in every single person - that is the goal," it says at