INTIMATE AND RELATIONAL IMAGES
They are there, strange and distorted. In the photographs of Swiss artist Senta Simond, objects and bodies appear under the subjective gaze of the photographer, which can be discovered in the Studio of the Maison européenne de la photographie (MEP) in Paris until mid-February.
The images produced by the photographer immerse the viewer in a direct relationship with the model. The originality of Senta Simond's photographs stems from the fresh perspective she brings to bear on specifically female bodies. This is how she first gained attention in 2018, shortly after graduating, with a series of photographs in which identities are redefined through what women choose to reveal of their own bodies and faces. The artist quickly received several awards, including the Aperture/Paris PhotoBook Prize at Paris Photo and the Swiss Design Award. In this first series, as well as in the one presented at the MEP, the photographer positions herself very close to the model and suggests her movement. The model in the image is a living subject, not an object of the gaze. This effect of capturing the moment seems largely due to the unusual angles of view, combining close-ups, high and low angles, as well as the models' contorted poses.
Here, each image is the result of a necessary collaboration, as a certain degree of trust is required to allow a camera to slip between one's legs like that… The collaboration, however, encompasses another dimension. Built around a diptych of photography and video, portraying a dancer and a harpist, the exhibition brings together still images, moving images, and music. At the artist's request, some sequences were filmed directly by the two female models, playing on chance encounters and taking control of their own image.
It is no longer just about photography or the female body. The body is also a working tool for the models, it merges with the instrument for the harpist and expresses itself in three dimensions through sound, image and video, going out to meet the public, dancing, navigating between intimate and relational representation.
“Senta Simond – Dissonance”
MEP (European House of Photography)
5/7, rue de Fourcy, Paris 4e
Until February 11, 2024
