“THE OBSERVER & THE OBSERVED”
This project which is a part of my thesis project, explores the concept of the gaze and its role in shaping identity, drawing on feminist and psychoanalytic theories. By analyzing the power dynamics between the viewer and the viewed, my work challenges traditional representations of marginalized genders’ bodies such as those of women and LGBTQ individuals. I seek to unravel these constructs by reimagining how bodies are seen and understood, pushing viewers to confront their own biases and preconceptions. In my experimental photography, I distort and deconstruct the human form as a deliberate act of resistance against objectification. This process of distortion challenges the viewer’s ingrained expectations, subverting the idea that a body must be easily identifiable, categorized, or sexualized.
Through experimental photography, using different materials such as hair gel on transparent plexiglass and placing that between my camera and my model, I intentionally distort and deconstruct the human form. As a photographer, I use my power and authority to confront societal norms and expectations. Through this distortion acts, I aimed to make challenge for the viewer to not perceptions of the body as something easily identifiable or consumable.
In another portrait series, I intentionally used matte Mylar paper to cover my models’ faces, transforming them into matte, unclear, and blurry bodies but with cutting part of the paper, they could expose just part of their body outside of the paper to be exposed by the viewer gaze. As my research is based on feminist and psychoanalytic theories, I inspired by Laura Mulvey’s theory regarding fragmented gaze. Mulvey analyzes the role of cinema and visual culture in breaking down the female body into isolated, erotic parts and with manipulating that they are reducing female bodies to an object for male pleasure.
However, unlike Mulvey’s theory where fragmentation is used to objectify women, my intentional use of cutting papers for fragmentation transforms to a tool for resistance. By disrupting the expectation of clarity and coherence in how bodies are viewed. This technique forces the observer to confront the discomfort of incomplete forms and resist visual consumption.
“Fluid Bounderies”
In this project, I explore the fluid and interconnected relationship between the human body and the natural world, challenging traditional notions of the gaze. Rather than presenting the body as a passive object of observation, the images depict a reciprocal and multidirectional gaze, a dynamic dialogue between the subject, the environment, and the viewer. Here, nature itself is not just a backdrop but an active participant, “looking back” at the spectator, creating a sense of mutuality and interconnectedness. This series deconstructs the typical male gaze by portraying the body not as isolated or objectified, but as harmonious and integral to its surroundings. Through this visual dialogue, I aim to evoke a deeper, more organic relationship between humanity and the environment, suggesting that the body and nature are not separate entities but coexisting forces, constantly engaging and reflecting upon each other.
