Jorian Charlton

Courtesy of the artist.

Jorian Charlton’s photography focuses on her generation of peers within the Caribbean diaspora. She possesses a deep-rooted passion for capturing the essence of Black culture, while also expanding the canon of Black Canadian representation. Through carefully staged narrative portraiture, Charlton often explores themes of family, intimacy, community, and love. She constructs each image on film, with great care to celebrate the beauty of her peers in the diaspora. Her solo portrait of Georgia shows a stunningly regal and dark-skinned woman as she lies in a green field. It is a lush nature scene befitting a goddess of romantic lore. Natural light leaks through from the day’s bright sun. 

Charlton’s work has been featured in numerous exhibitions, with solo presentations at the Art Gallery of Ontario; Cooper Cole gallery, Toronto; Art Gallery of Mississauga, Ontario; and others, as well as in group exhibitions such as The New Black Vanguard: Photography between Art and Fashion, curated by Antwaun Sargent, which debuted at the 2021 edition of Arles Les Recontres de la Photographie in France and subsequently traveled to many prestigious venues across Europe and the United States. Charlton’s photography has also been featured in public art projects as part of Toronto’s Year of Public Art and the Contact Photography Festival. She lives and works in Toronto.