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I believe that everybody has the right to view his or her own body as a palette – Camille Paglia Steve Diet Goedde is a fetish photographer. His aesthetic, craftsmanship, classical sense of space and light, not least his eye, all contribute to the uniqueness of his voice within the genre. But my favourite thing about his photographs is the fierce and empowered beauty of the models with whom he collaborates. And it is a true collaboration. I should know – I have modelled for Steve myself. As a curator, I appreciate the artistry of the thousands of works he has exhibited and published. He is, quite simply, making art with a powerful, subject-focused narrative. As a feminist, I am impressed by the strength and agency that is communicated by the women who model for him. It’s sexy, but it’s not about sex. This remarkable book is, in its own way, a survey of Goedde’s practice, but much of this work has never before been published. These are mostly ‘unfinished’ images. They are not perfect, deftly balanced compositions that inflame aesthetic and breathless passions. They are process pieces. They reveal life candidly, as it is between shots. There is charm and often humour in some of these images, of models who appear in full make-up but who go about routine activities – smoking, snacking, checking phones. There’s a sisterhood, too, in the pictures of women fixing one another’s clothes and hair. In certain photographs, it’s a relatable day-at-the-office vibe of women stretching their legs, kicking off their heels, touching up their gear – not something you’d necessarily expect coming from the fetish world. Altogether these casually sweet, pensive or quirkily in-between moments convey a profound beauty in their unabashed documentation of the undeniably real. A warm familiarity permeates the scenes of kitchens and living rooms, and the laid-back comforts of porches and easy chairs. Those quotidian details, the obvious friendships and above all the majestic self-possession and relaxed attitude of the women in the pictures – their sanguine and unselfconscious body language – tell a story of
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total trust. Aside from the generous aesthetic pleasures of the images, their energy communicates that no one involved has compromised their integrity; that the models own their voices in determining how they want to be portrayed, not only as physical beauties but as fully present individuals. Among the most affecting works here are those that seem to imply a larger storyline, or contain a social message. Or those that whisper a secret. In the final image of this book, both model and photographer clasp outstretched hands. In the background a strange desert landscape unfurls. We see that the subject is not looking at the camera, but making eye contact with Goedde. Her wry smile is neither romantic nor jovial, but sublimely content. In other images, women are pulling up a stocking, picking out a CD from a rack, meditating in a beam of afternoon sunlight, looking at the view outside. They play with dogs and cats, they search for things in dressing rooms, they explore the green of yards and the gravel of paths. They are ‘caught’ checking out their own poses, touching up their own make-up, rubbing a sore foot or a tight shoulder, adjusting a troublesome shoe strap, stretching their legs, enjoying a cigarette (there’s a lot of smoking), zipping up and fussing over their clothes, laughing at jokes they tell themselves. The best fetish photography and the most avant-garde fashion photography have always shared common ground. Think of the idiomatic language explored by figures such as Helmut Newton, Steven Meisel, Bettina Rheims, Ellen von Unwerth and others who have actively blurred those boundaries with panache. And there are multiple examples of fine art photographers, such as Edward Weston, who see equal sensualism in the lithe contours of a backside and a bell pepper; or Julius Shulman, who felt the same way about arched backs and architectural bellwethers. Camille Paglia, who has critiqued the broader visual culture, and who can be as enthusiastic and ecumenical as she is withering, has championed a kind of cultural intersectionality where echelons are obsolete and hierarchies outmoded in their assessment of the
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Sydney Grey, Beverly Hills, 2001
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Angie, Los Angeles, 2004
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Black Widow, Beverly Hills, 2001
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Kumi, San Francisco, 1996
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This book is dedicated to my family, friends, and fans who together inspire me, and encourage me to do what I do. Most important of all is the love of my life, Yee. In addition to all the models who appear here, I would like to thank the designers whose work has made them truly shine: Molly McGee’s So Hip It Hurts Latex, Syren Latex, Pinup Girl Clothing, Pigalle, Torture Garden, Atsuko Kudo, Vex Clothing, Baby Loves Latex, House of Harlot, and High Gloss Dolls. Most of the models did their own hair and makeup but on a few occasions I used the talents of Jennifer Corona, Miss Ruby, and Mark Katz, so thank you! Special thanks also go to Thomas Negovan, Andi Campognone, and Shana Nys Dambrot. Finally, I would like to express extra special gratitude to the Circa Press team who made this book so special: David Jenkins, Rosa Nussbaum, and Sarah Handelman. Steve Diet Goedde, Los Angeles, January 2019
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Steve Diet Goedde grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, before moving to Chicago as a student. Inspired by the work of Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick, his first instinct was to become a filmmaker. Only slowly did his attention turn to photography. His first book, The Beauty of Fetish, published by Edition Stemmle in 1998, brought him critical acclaim and a loyal following, both of which he has enjoyed ever since. He now lives and works in Los Angeles. Andi Campognone is the director of AC Projects, which promotes the arts and culture in Southern California. She is also the museum curator for the City of Lancaster, where she is responsible for the development of partnerships and community initiatives with local artists and businesses, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and other institutions. She is on the board of the Lancaster Museum and Public Art Foundation and is a current member of ArtTable. She has been photographed by Steve Diet Goedde.
First published in 2019 by Circa Press Š2019 Circa Press Limited and Steve Diet Goedde Circa Press 50 Great Portland Street London W1W 7ND www.circapress.com ISBN 978-1-911422-18-1 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Editor Sarah Handelman Designer Rosa Nussbaum Printed and bound in Italy