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Powerful Fragility
2016In Powerful Fragility plaatste Richard Westerhuis zijn modellen niet in bevallige poses; hij liet ze zelf een houding kiezen waarin ze zich veilig en geborgen voelen. Een houding die voor hun natuurlijk voelde, maar die tegelijkertijd ook krachtig en kwetsbaar oogt. Bekijk je de foto’s van een afstand, dan zien de modellen er eerder uit als marmeren beelden waarin organische en statische vormen in evenwicht zijn. In Powerful Fragility ligt de kracht van de foto’s in de enscenering en de fraaie licht- en schaduwpartijen die op de vleeskleurige ledematen vallen. Die brengen het naakte lichaam onmiskenbaar tot leven.
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Artist Statement
Richard Westerhuis | 2016Our identity is constantly influenced by our experiences, surroundings, fashion phenomena and modern days worldview. It’s easy to hide our true self behind a mask of superficialities. Things like clothing, possessions and maybe even the way we speak define how others see us. When all this is taken away, what remains is a clear image of the person in the picture.
Nudity has always been something we look at from different points of view. The way we think about nudity changes from time to time and from culture to culture. Most of us don’t feel comfortable being completely naked. Somewhere in our childhood being naked becomes something we are increasingly ashamed of. While in other cultures people keep feeling free to see each other in their most natural form.
Whenever we feel a little insecure we tend to contract our muscles. In Powerful Fragility Arwe searches for the moment in which the models find a pose that feels natural to them. A moment in which they feel secure. These stilled moments feel powerful and fragile at the same time. The model’s bodies look as if they are sculptures made in a perfect balance between organic and static shapes. In Powerful Fragility the power lies in the simplicity of the photos and in the carefully staged compositions. The use of color is simple. Just human skin tones on a black background. Although we can’t see their faces we can see right into the inner world of the models.
