Liliana Zaharia

The series uses the movement of human figure in relation to space as an investigation into the struggle of discovering one’s self. It reflects the collaboration between myself and artist/psychologist Irina Petreanu, in our search of identity as women and artists. In our struggle with the idea that one is generally expected to assume a fixed identity, we created the images as an investigation of self. Through expression of free movement, borrowed from contemporary dance improvisation, the model, Irina, allows her body to organically flow into different poses, with an emphasis on shape and form. This reflects the fluidity of one’s self, the continuous change and questioning on what we go through.

The process started with visualising the beauty of the human form in the natural light within the studio. The neutral colors and soft light is only contrasted by the red color from Irina’s hair, a subtle note on identity. It then became a collaborative ‘flow’ between the two of us, much closer to a performative act, rather than the rigid process of making someone ‘pose’ for the images.

The result reveals a sculptural aesthetic, where the body moves from tension to relaxation, from rigidness to softness, a continual movement within the space. It is intended as a meditation on who we are, our continuous change and how we can fit inside the constraint of expectation.