-Michelangelo

Negative criticism was already circulating and awaited the publishing of this article. This criticism arose from how Philistine people out there who failed to differentiate art from pornography. According to google’s definition of pornography, pornography is “Printed or visual material containing the explicit description or display of sexual organs/activity, intended to stimulate erotic rather than emotional feelings”, and the definition of Art is “The expression of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power”. While pornography is, in my opinion, about degrading a person, nude art on the other hand is about celebrating and praising the beauty of the human body.

About a month ago I stumbled through the controversial works of the Chinese photographer RenHang, and I was awfully inspired. Not only by his provocative photos, but by the fact that he goes as far as to defy the laws of his country in the name of his passion. What his photography speaks to me is that limitations aren’t necessarily barriers.

Working with nudity in my photography was a new experience for me. I didn’t know what to expect, how would the models would react, or how their chemistry would appear in front of the lens. I never thought that one day I’d be photographing them together in one frame, and being able to capture the intimacy of two people that have known each other for so long, but always had a major communication gap. Throughout the shooting I felt as if their connection grew stronger. Their awkwardness fit perfectly together for the concept, and it turned out to be one of the most unexpected photo shoots I have ever been a part of so far.

After editing I realised I couldn’t have combined two models more perfectly, both models share common melancholic eyes, a melancholy that makes you wonder what’s the story behind it. These photos you’re about to see are some honest and raw photos of beautifully awkward portraits of a spontaneous moment.