
The white of the images and background make the subjects of these photos seem like divine creatures; angels with ripped clothes. The scars resulting from surgery show the suffering that these people have had to face, at the same time they testify the great strength of will that lead these people make the important decision to change their body.
I like the way in which Bettina Rheims developes her work Gender Studies. It is not just a documentation but she got in touch with these people, she listened to the stories of their life: that’s how art becomes also part of an artist’s life, when art gives important lessons of life.
I had the feeling that the subjects represented Rheims’ photos can be, in some way, related to the figure of Jesus Christ. The white background that creates a bright aura around the subject, the scars on the bodies, the tattered clothes and the fact that these people hide their own sex, make me understand that they had to face great suffering in their life in oder to become what they wanted and what they are now: ethereal.
Commenti