Taking a Moment
Meet the 16 talented teen photographers from across Los Angeles who participated in a two-month workshop at the Getty Center through Getty Unshuttered, a teen photography program.
Getty Unshuttered is a teen photography program founded in 2018. In the spring of 2023, 16 talented teen photographers expanded their creativity and technical skills through behind-the-scenes visits with Getty’s photography collections and staff, seeing exhibitions for inspiration, and shaping their portfolios through supportive collaboration from museum professionals, photography mentors, and each other.
Under the theme of Taking a Moment, the photographers explored the unique qualities of capturing a moment in time that photography innately allows, the importance of self-expression and creativity, and the advantages of slowing down and being present.
This presentation of their photographs illuminates many of these thematic interpretations and celebrates the artists’ abilities and range.
Living Room (2023) by Chloe BauerThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Chloe Bauer
Bauer is a photographer, filmmaker, and visual artist experimenting with painting, collage, sculpture, drawing and installation. The human experience is Bauer’s main source of inspiration and Chloe uses her art to tell stories, speak her mind, and “poke the bear.”
Manos de Metzger (2023) by Chloe BauerThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Bauer’s art ranges in themes, from political stances on gun violence and women’s rights, to more conceptual ideas.
Self Reflection (2023) by Delilah BrumerThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Delilah Brumer
In her photography, Brumer explores the intricacies of life in Los Angeles for young people.
Gazing (2023) by Delilah BrumerThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Brumer was editor-in-chief of her school newspaper, the 2023 California High School Journalist of the Year, a freelance reporter at the Los Angeles Daily News, a student board member at the LA Times High School Insider, and a producer at PBS Newshour Student Reporting Labs.
Cherished (2023) by Juliette DalicanoThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Juliette Dalicano
Dalicano discovered a passion for photography when she realized images make wildlife conservation and advocacy more accessible for those unable to see endangered species in person.
The Observer (2023) by Juliette DalicanoThe J. Paul Getty Museum
She is also vocal about the need for positive representation of marginalized identities in the media, as a way to raise acceptance and awareness. Through her photography she hopes to provide reassurance that people with shared identities are not alone in their struggles.
Tenature (2023) by Simon DevisThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Simon Devis
Growing up in a diverse city motivated Devis to express himself through many forms of art. Originally, darkroom photography ignited his passion for capturing images and he has explored both film and digital cameras as well as filmmaking.
Mid Station (2023) by Simon DevisThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Across media Simon has begun to explore surrealism and the abnormal as he strives to create meaningful pieces that address what it's like to grow up today.
Kiss (2023) by Ella EstherThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Ella Esther
Esther’s photography focuses on portraits, aiming to capture facets of femininity and queerness within modern and historical contexts.
Emulsion (2023) by Ella EstherThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Fascinated by the malleable, manual, and intimate nature of film photography, Esther is interested in bridging the gap between past and present, analog and digital, and breaking traditional conventional photography standards to create pieces that intersect all forms of creation.
Laila Gibbs
Gibbs’ photography focuses on the beauty of natural surroundings and draws inspiration from childhood memories. For her, photographing nature draws people in to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us.
She created a photography program for isolated senior citizens as her Girl Scout Gold Award project, placed 1st in her district for the “Martin Luther King Jr. Visions of Unity Arts & Literature Contest,'' and has had work displayed in the Katy Geissert Civic Center Library.
Yulissa Gonzalez
Gonzalez is a Mexican-American artist and LA native who works in digital illustration, photography, screen-printing, murals, and painting with a focus on the social issues and narratives that surround Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities.
She likes to capture portraiture, fashion, and street photography. She has shown her work in galleries throughout LA and been highlighted by art directors and graphic designers from prominent companies including Nike and Netflix.
Juri Kim
Kim's ideas of identity, belonging, and cultural hybridity influence her work and artistic practice as a second-generation Korean American student in Los Angeles.
She is particularly interested in how cultural practices and traditions can be repurposed and understood in novel situations, and how this process can deepen and change how we perceive ourselves and our communities.
She hopes her work encourages others to discover their own identities and connections to the world.
Ruth Gutierrez Ortiz
A Highland Park neighborhood native, Gutierrez Ortiz’s work is bright with emotions and uses color to immerse the viewer in the world she creates.
Gutierrez Ortiz's distinctive style mixes photos with other art mediums to break from traditional photography.
Flora Uslaner
Uslaner creates photography with a focus on portraiture and photojournalism as a means to encapsulate the simple moments in life.
She is the president and founder of her high school’s photography club and editor-in-chief of its visual arts digital magazine.
Bars (2023) by Zach GottliebThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Zachary Gottlieb
Gottlieb is a storyteller using photography to connect and empower. In such a fast-paced culture, photography helps him slow down and be uniquely present by noticing beauty through details that might otherwise be ignored.
Hanging Out (2023) by Zach GottliebThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Photography allows Gottlieb to shape the perspective of a story and reminds him that all narrative is inherently fluid. Obsessed with the processes of photography, Gottlieb uses photography to make sense of the world around him.
Connecting LA (2023) by Melissa JoaquinThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Melissa Joaquin
Joaquin developed an eye for art at a young age and was hypnotized and inspired by the endless creativity in her LA community.
On the Level (2023) by Melissa JoaquinThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Melissa strives to capture the personal perspectives that often go unnoticed and is drawn to subjects who contribute to our society artistically in their natural or familiar environments.
Little People in a Sea of Black (2023) by Jason LopezThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Jason Lopez
Lopez, born in South Los Angeles, fell in love with photography at a young age. With no formal opportunities in his neighborhood, he learned on his own by watching YouTube tutorials.
Ember (2023) by Jason LopezThe J. Paul Getty Museum
At his high school, he started a photography club to help other kids who wanted to learn the basics and know more.
Untitled (2023) by Solomon Lytle HernandezThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Solomon Lytle Hernandez
Lytle Hernandez is a photographer/filmmaker from Los Angeles specializing in portraiture, street scenes, and sports photography.
Mickey (2023) by Solomon Lytle HernandezThe J. Paul Getty Museum
He co-founded the JSJ PhotoCollective, capturing the stories of street vendors in Koreatown, and was spotlighted by the 2022 KCRW’s Young Creators Project.
Paulo (2023) by Leo PhillipsThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Leo Phillips
Hailing from North East LA, Phillips explores the surprising and sometimes beautiful relationship between natural and man-made entities through manipulation and use of light.
Nick (2023) by Leo PhillipsThe J. Paul Getty Museum
In addition to photography, he captured the street skate scene through videography, documenting the way street skaters rebel against man-man structures by using them in unexpected ways to create kinetic art.
Silent Watcher (2023) by Masturah WardakThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Masturah Wardak
Wardak is a Los Angeles-based artist drawn to art’s unique ability to provide an outlet for thoughts, feelings, and ideas.
Left to the Torrent (2023) by Masturah WardakThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Masturah creates photographs embodying a sense of naturalism, aiming to heighten the importance of our everyday environments and the people who surround us.
Over the years, the program has taken many forms including nationwide and statewide Open Calls for artwork, workshops and exhibitions at the Getty Center, and a robust offering of online classroom resources.
To see more photos from the Unshuttered 2023 cohort, visit this gallery.
View the winners of the 2024 Unshuttered open call "A Spectrum of..." in our online gallery.
© 2024 J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles
To cite this exhibition, please use: "Taking a Moment. Getty Unshuttered Teen Photographers, 2023" published online in 2024 via Google Arts & Culture, the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
