Lady is a body of work centred around the woman as an archetype, placing the female gaze at the forefront of the photographic lens to reclaim female representation. The work acts as a vessel for exploring womanhood and the role of the ideal feminine as a means of challenging and dismantling restrictive gender norms and stereotypes. As a woman, I offer an introspective take on the female experience in the present day, encapsulating the fear of adulthood, objectification, and the position of the woman in the photographic landscape. Engaging with the female body and its form, using my own body in some of the images, the work utilises transgressive iconography to disseminate themes such as femininity, domesticity and desire.
In the work, I consider desire as a universal human experience that is culturally constructed and differently regulated for women. Through this exploration, the project aims to provide insight into the nuanced and complex experiences of women, between gender and the natural world, as they navigate womanhood and all it may encompass. Transcending back to my own pre-adolescent life, I seek to understand the intersection of childhood innocence and youth with the societal expectations and gendered power dynamics of women in a patriarchal society, governed by the male gaze.
Looking at intricate connections and parallels, Lady illustrates the interdependence of humanity and nature, and how this relationship is influenced by socio-cultural conventions.
Within the conceptual framework of my visual strategy, I employ a range of photographic processes. Notably, my decision to use a point and shoot camera to produce images that exhibit both washed-out and oversaturated tones, a result that is enhanced by the camera’s flash. By utilising this technique, I am able to embrace the medium’s inherent limitations and imperfections, while simultaneously exploiting the image clarity offered by the high-quality camera. This approach has led me to appreciate and celebrate the mediums as an integral part of the artistic process. Using this style, I aim to create images that establish a dynamic between the familiar and the surreal, capturing the immediacy of everyday observation and connecting seemingly ordinary objects. Through a muted palette contrasted by bold colours such as red and pink, I address the femininity and sexualisation of particular colours whilst the subdued hues are more indicative of the uncertainty and change in the work. The work utilises a vernacular, everyday day aesthetic to emphasise social functions and gender roles in society.
Self-Published May 2023
All Images © Holly Holder
Text © Holly Holder
