We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Danielle Rackowski a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Danielle, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Self Portraits On Fire is the first and only International Online Photo-Based Gallery that specializes in Contemporary Fine Art Self-Portraiture. The gallery, solely curated by self-portrait photo artist, Danielle Rackowski, began on October 2, 2020 as an Instagram account featuring the work of photo-based artists working in self-portraiture. Tens of thousands of self-portrait photo-based art submissions on Instagram led the niche platform to expand into a full-fledged online photo-based gallery for self-portrait photo-based artists in late 2021.

Rackowski’s practice incorporates the unique blend of a photo/lens-based medium with digital applications and painterly aesthetics. She noticed that there was a vast community of photographers and photo-based artists creating and sharing self-portraiture on social media.

Self-portraiture within the photo-based medium is genre-bending. From traditional to digital, the spectrum of styles within the photographic medium is shaping today’s digital age of art. Contemporary self-portraiture intersects original photography with fine art, alternative, and experimental processes, along with AI interventions. This creates new visions, defines new immersive experiences, and transcends the artistic bounds of limitless self-expression.

Rackowski envisioned an online space dedicated to preserving the creativity of all self-portrait photo-based art and artists. Self Portraits On Fire is a space for all photo-based artists to find meaningful connections and visual inspiration. Community is celebrated over competition, and a diverse range of photographic styles are welcomed. The gallery continues to recognize and support self-portrait photo-based art and artists through curatorial opportunities that commit to accessibility, inclusion, and visibility.

As a growing artist-run gallery and community of self-portrait photo-based artists, Self Portraits On Fire strives to exhibit, showcase, and collaborate with as many self-portrait photo-based artists as possible!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Danielle Rackowski is a Self-Portrait Photo Artist based in New Jersey. She uses digital photography and digital photo manipulation to create expressive and semi-pictorial digital fine art images. Bold and bright colors are transformed to attain a sense of inner clarity and to reveal subconscious truths. Her images are grounded between reality and imagination (the familiar and the enigmatic), which create a stillness in motion.

Her passion for swift surrealistic, impressionistic, and expressionistic styles transcend and empower her artworks into deeper narratives of self-reflection and observation. By compositing, layering, and abstracting digital imagery through a painterly aesthetic, she undergoes a series of metamorphoses, and expresses subtle and complex intricacies on the surreality and duality of emotion.

Her studio practice and photographic process also bring attention to the healing nature of confronting her own introspective and intuitive gaze before the gaze of the camera. Her transformative artworks create meaningful connections between the harmonious balance of color, nature, and spiritual growth. These visual and textural elements enrich her self portraits, which visualize the intangibility of emotion as a tangible and inevitable force that can live beneath and beyond the surface.

Rackowski is the Founder, Curator, and Gallery Director of Self Portraits On Fire – The First and Only International Online Self-Portrait Photo-Based Gallery that Specializes in Contemporary Fine Art Self-Portraiture. She is proud to curate and support many photo-based artists working in self-portraiture through various initiatives that foster community and creativity within the self-portrait genre. Artists are encouraged to participate in the gallery through online exhibitions, collaborations, and commission-based projects.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a self-portrait artist is the ability to explore and express emotions. It creates a unique connection and dialogue with viewers about shared human experiences. Each piece becomes a reflection of self-discovery and vulnerability. Self-portraiture also sparks reflection, invites viewers to explore their own identity, and creates emotional resonance.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Non-creatives may struggle to grasp the emotional depth and introspective nature of self-portraiture. They might not fully appreciate how each artwork reflects personal growth, vulnerability, and the complexities of self-identity. They may simply view self-portraiture as a visual representation, rather than a profound exploration of the self.

Self-portraiture can also bring enlightenment through the cultivation of self-awareness and the exploration of emotional identity. Engaging in this creative process can inspire empathy and offer a therapeutic outlet for healing and self-expression.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.selfportraitsonfire.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/selfportraits_on_fire/
• Other: https://www.selfportraitsonfire.com/danielle-rackowski

Image Credits

©Danielle Rackowski