Overview

In 2011, when iPhone selfies were on the rise, Robbie Kaye stood in front of her bedroom mirror, poised to take a photograph of herself. She noticed a crack on the bottom left corner. ""I can't take this picture,"" was her first reaction. The mirror wasn't perfect. She took the photograph anyway. She took it because it brought to mind the imperfections of life, of relationships and the learning to love her deeper self - cracks were a way in... As the days and weeks went by that little crack in the bottom corner grew. It stretched half way up the mirror. Time passed and another crack appeared. Soon there were lines across both mirrored doors, reminding her of the lines on her face. The mirror, with all its cracks and veins, held up despite the constancy of use. Robbie Kaye observed how it mirrored her self-acceptance, or lack therof. In her self-portraits, and photographs of her family, she could see how the distortion worked with these images. She became more brave, more willing to see and love the way the mirror's continuing cracks allowed more freedom in herself. To see her own face and naked body across the cracked mirror stood as a metaphor for her growing self-acceptance during the course of over two years of this project. She continued taking 'selfies, ' sometimes of her dogs, family members and friends. Robbie Kaye took them in the summer, the winter, after a shower, in the middle of the day, when getting ready to go out, to go away until finally, she took the very last photograph on the day she moved. She left that mirror behind. She left behind the shimmery surface whose cracks had invited her into herself. Her life unfolded in front of that cracked mirror. She left the object behind, but the journey had only begun.

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9780578409344

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Reviews

As succinctly as I can: Keep it real. That's what I'd reply if you'd ask me to say something about Robbie. She has a relentless drive - and an uncanny ability - to return to the essence of things. To strip something of all the opinions and judgements, and consider only what is real about it. And that's where it gets interesting. Because over the last two years or so, I coached Robbie and we became close friends - and I got to witness the extent and depth to which this individual is able to 'look in the mirror'. You know: see yourself for what you are... face the demons under the surface... and to explore to scary-deep levels what actually makes you tick. Looking in the mirror, and seeing what is real about yourself. Robbie does that. Afraid at times, kicking and screaming at others, but never prepared to stop exploring and inquiring as to the fundamental question: Who am I, really? This book shows you a glimpse into the result of those inquiries. Obviously not as broadly and deeply as I was privileged to witness, but attentive readers - those who can read between the lines and 'see between (through?) the cracks' - will savour the very private look into the life and mind of this magnificent artist. Martin Stellar

Author Information

Robbie Kaye is an artist who tells stories through photographs and prose. Her work presents narratives about people, places and nature. She documents the overlooked beauty in the world around her. Robbie Kaye is originally from New York and now resides in Southern California.

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