Tribe 09

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PROFILE Images - Courtesy of the artist. Writer - Chama Tahiri, art director and journalist.

Deborah Benzaquen: Sweet Surrender A coming of age visual story from Casablanca When Casablanca born and raised photographer

clean and minimalistic. Except for a few yellow

Deborah Benzaquen was commissioned in 2017 for

flowers, the artist surrendered her usual favorite

an exhibition on Eternal Youth, she chose to focus

props, gathered over the years when she was a

on adolescence as a timeless research subject.

movie set decorator, and only played with the natural

She had known Mia, one of her models, since she

highlights and shadows of a charming old-fashioned

was a little kid. At only 17, the pixie haircut girl

Casablanca apartment.

had always been a brilliant and creative child but also very bold and opinionated, maybe a bit of

The result is equally raw as it is soft, and conveys a

a rebel in her own way. She introduced the artist

feeling of blissful nostalgia. The unedited pictures

to her high school friends with whom she formed

reveal the marks of adolescence, but the teenagers

a very tight and free-spirited group. They talked

gracefully turned their vulnerability into a statement

about identity, gender, and sexuality, and what all

of power. Their striking confidence and carefree

that could mean in a such a transitional phase of

spirit clashes with their young age, and this constant

a young adult’s life. The chemistry was so obvious

duality resonates with the underlying question of

that they quickly moved from a Whatsapp group

gender, as well as the tension between the threat

chat to a shooting set.

of the outside world, and the safety of the room in which these teenagers can be whoever they want,

In her creative process, Benzaquen never plans

sheltered from peer pressure and social expectations.

too far ahead—she goes with her guts and heart,

The unedited pictures reveal the marks of adolescence, but the teenagers gracefully turned their vulnerability into a statement of power

and follows her intuition, thus creating the most

The intimacy of the photos is enhanced by the

candid and authentic collaborations. The artist

subtle suggestion of modesty, and the context of

indeed refers to her work as “theirs” since all of

the images given the controversy around sexual

But the true strength of the series might be its

her shoots are a form of dialogue with her (mostly)

orientation in Morocco. Benzaquen is very aware

universality. Stripped down from any context those

real-life, non-professional models. They usually

of this, and is careful to never put her models in

are just regular teenagers, with their dreams, flaws,

take the time to get to know each other, and their

compromising situations. Speaking of her models

secrets and dyed hair. Teenagers who refuse to be

aesthetic universes eventually blend to perfection.

for Sweet Surrender, the artist says ‘They were such

labeled. Masculine and feminine, young and mature,

But it is most likely Benzaquen’s way of creating a

quiet forces, which was really reassuring since I’m

assertive and fragile: they are all of that and more.

form of intimacy even before setting her frame,

the opposite.’ Being very shy and self-conscious

They are works in progress, shaping their identity

doubled with her great listening skills, that create

herself—a form of humbleness in disguise—

as they grow–free and fabulous. For Benzaquen, a

that unique bond of trust, and allow her to tell the

Benzaquen never forces a pose and hardly ever

picture is worth a thousand words, and this series

most sensitive visual stories.

directs her subjects. On the contrary, she thrives

tells one of the oldest coming of age stories ever

on challenges and limitations, which in this series

told—a story of letting go and choosing love,

Here, the more Benzaquen got to know Mia’s group,

has resulted in something pure and more subtly

beyond prejudices. A ‘sweet surrender’ to beauty

the more she knew she wanted her pictures to be

suggestive.

and sensuality, in all of their raw forms.

114 tribe


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