Departing from her daring and experimental portraiture, Jill Greenberg returns to her interest in feminist art with “Glass Ceiling,” a series in which she depicts female athletes and dancers underwater engaged in a variety of ambiguous and dynamic movements. The women wear colorful bathing suits and high heels in complimentary hues.

Inspired by an editorial assignment that involved Olympic athletes in stilettos, Greenberg was struck by the absurdity of the styling. The shoes, meant to heighten sexuality, restrict movement and impose a lack of control. Greenberg then formulated her own photographs, which became “Glass Ceiling.” The tension of the models surfacing for gasps of air while wrestling with the weight of the water acts as a metaphor for the role women must play in the outside world.

A number of the images in the series were shot with the assistance of the Aqualillies.