Untitled (Makayla)

Angela Strassheim’s photographs address issues of female identity, family, religion, and the domestic environment; they often reference her own memories, particularly childhood memories that still confuse or disturb her. Strassheim’s staged images vacillate between the apparent and the discovered. Here she explores what it means to be a daughter and examines the complex dramas that reveal themselves in relationships with family members. Although poised, both the young girl and dog look at the photographer (and us) with such apprehension and skepticism that we wonder their cause.