The beauty is in the eye of the beholder

The portrayed subjects exchange gazes with those viewing the photographs. A gaze can convey a range of emotions, but their interpretation always depends on the observer. The gaze upon the body is likewise doubled: the viewer looks at the nude figures captured in the images, while simultaneously perceiving the frame and composition shaped by the photographer and the model. The photographer’s gaze comes first, but it does not determine how the photograph will be perceived. The impression left after viewing the exhibition depends entirely on the viewer’s perspective.

“Gazes” is a photographic series presenting portraits and nudes of women. Of particular note are the works “Hunger”—depicting a model battling illness—and the triptych “Jane Doe” (a term used to describe a woman of unknown identity).

The photographs were created using the 19th-century photographic technique known as wet collodion. The silver image, formed on hand-prepared glass plates, was exposed in a large-format camera, then developed and fixed using a chemical process unchanged for over 170 years. The resulting images capture universal values: emotions and the beauty of the female body, enriched by the imperfection and rawness of this archaic technique.