Reconquest says what many in the Photo Industry are thinking
Compelling photography often requires a certain degree of risk, especially when you’re using the medium to promote a message. Risks lead to vulnerability, and it takes strong heads on strong shoulders to push through the barriers and continue making the work. In this piece, we look at one group of photographers who are prepared to put it all on the line to fight for what they believe in.
Reconquest is an ongoing NFT photography project that is currently being developed by eight photographers from different parts of the world. The objective is clear; to call out the hyper sexualization of the female form and highlight the varying degree of body types.
In a bold move, the group is recreating work of other photographers that they feel are profiting from photographing female bodies. Is it the right approach for the group to take? Time will tell. But what’s certain is they’re creating a project that will get people talking, debating, and hopefully resolving tensions within the photo community – that’s never a bad thing.
When photographers are prepared to be vulnerable, both in the actions they take and the frames they make, I always want to understand why. And while it may be easy for some of you to click off this interview, opting to move to something more easily digestible, I encourage you to remain where you are.
You may not be in full agreement of this work, but I’m certain it will get you thinking and reflecting. That’s why Reconquest is so powerful and why the thoughts of the eight photographers are worth your time.
Reconquest Photographers
All eight members involved with the Reconquest will share their words throughout this interview. Some will say more than others, but it was important that each of them had the chance to express themselves. The photographers are:
Erika: @normalistoxic
Eleonora Penza: @iocivedo
Maral: @mamaralic
Lorena Orlando: @vocesferales
Care: @careverdeazul
Nana Hank: @nanahanketh
Dreamer Resurrected: @dreamsresurrect
Them Frames: Hey team! Please can you start by telling us how the Reconquest photographers came together and why you all shared the same goal in terms of what you wanted to do with the project?
Erika: Maral and I were in a DM expressing our frustrations together about the NFT space and beyond depicting women in an objectified way in photography, media, advertising etc. We were venting about how frustrating it is to see that so continuously celebrated and financially supported to a gross extent.
We came up with the idea of curating a project featuring women/femme photographers (which we plan to expand) who will parody images of objectified women/femme in any media form photographically found in any artistic community including NFTs. We reached out to femme photographers we knew, made tweets and announcements recruiting artists, etc. to try to get as many people involved as possible!
We are still looking to expand this project and include more bodies of color, disabilities, trans women, non-binary, etc. though we understand it’s a lot of vulnerability to ask, so it will take time but we have all the time in the world to build, expand, and perfect. We all wanted to express our frustrations and how we’ve been treated and how we’ve been exposed to toxic messages our entire lives in the form of a project where we are literally claiming our power. Parody was the most in-your-face way to do that and directly impact the viewer.
Erika: @normalistoxic
Them Frames: What was it like working as a remote group of photographers? Please share some positives and some challenges of getting the project complete.
Erika: Once we had our group of dedicated artists, everyone was super easy going and we would help each other with our ideas and our images and how we would approach presenting them. I did my best to involve everyone in the decision making for the project and everyone helped with marketing and pushing the project.
It was beautiful and amazing the way we all came together, and the way we still are bonded is like a true blessing even being in different parts of the world. It was very challenging getting artists to participate, because it is a very vulnerable and emotionally driven project.
Something like this is very hard to express and take on, especially when it’s guaranteed that there will be backlash and haters coming at you for something that is very clearly a global issue. Finding the artists and maintaining the dedication I would say was the hardest part with a bear market with NFTs and in a social media setting where people will speak their minds freely, which can be very overwhelming.
Them Frames: You have styled the portraits on themes done by other photographers. How did it feel knowing you were going to potentially be calling out other photographers and their work? Was there a concern of a backlash?
Erika: I knew going in I was going to be poking a big bear in NFT photography. I mentally planned to bring up the photographer I chose and also knew we would eventually butt heads at some point. Personally, I have no issue calling out the artist I chose because I am in a place where I feel I have nothing to lose.
People who are my fans and supporters will love and support me for who I am no matter what. That will remain as I stay authentically myself and use this platform to express my passions and beliefs.
Nothing on earth can take my passion away from me and even if I lose thousands of followers, I know what I stand by and I know who will always be there to have my back. I was concerned for the other artists in our group, though, and I’m always ready to defend them and stand up for them.
Eleonora Penza: No pretty or bold answer for this: I felt scared. This space is just like real life: it can feel so big and lonely but there are also big names, tight groups, ride or die supporters. I knew that choosing work from one of the biggest names in the space would bring strong approval and strong backlash.
I didn’t feel guilty for this, because I believe strongly in the message we’re trying to convey and in the end I was also telling my story through my shot, it was still personal. But yes, I was afraid I would be attacked. Not only because I confronted “a big name”, but also since I knew the topic wouldn’t be understood completely. The point would have flown high over many people’s heads and, first and foremost, I knew you can’t really change a mind that is deeply rooted into a misogynistic view of women. But it was the right moment, and there were so many beautiful people I was working with and so much support, and I wanted to do it.
Eleonora Penza: @iocivedo
Them Frames: Could you share what the response to the work has been like so far?
Erika: I have had some back and forth with the artist I chose and I have not minded it. Some guy thought I was drinking too much with my comments, which is sexist to imply I must be drunk or crazy to have something to say, and that’s what I pretty much anticipated.
People refusing to see how they treat women/femme and how their expectations on us are damaging is why this project exists! Not to mention, this isn’t just a male issue. This issue is imposed by other women as well, which is an expansion on this project I’d eventually like to address.
Eleonora Penza: There have been incredible, moving highs and disappointing, tiring lows. The project made noise. I got overwhelmed by the support for the cause and appreciation for our work. I got beautiful compliments about how powerful my choice and results were, and that brought me to tears because “powerful” isn’t something you expect to look like when you’re showing the whole world one of your biggest weaknesses while addressing a social issue you’ve been personally slapped in the face by, several times.
I had to argue with people about how the project and my choice made no sense and about how I just “wanted the photographer’s clout”. We got insulting and offensive comments, tone deaf opinions and replies that felt a lot like high school level bullying. Not many things ever made me feel better than sharing my experience through the art and with my voice in one of the spaces we held, and just in general, kicking an outdated system right in the face. I’m happy we did it.
Maral: In my particular case one guy asked in the comments why anybody would pay 100 xtz for two fatties. I asked him if he could tell me why these over 60 year old ladies, who have achieved way more in their lives than him, have to be insulted and don’t have the right to be photographed in the exact same way as younger women. Like it was predictable he didn’t deliver an appropriate answer (only more insults).Besides this, the resonance was very supportive and energizing!
Photo by Maral: @mamaralic
Them Frames: Let’s talk about making the shots. How did you feel in the moment when recreating the images?
Erika: Recreating the shot was so fun for me because I went the route of ridiculous comedy. The shot I chose made absolute zero sense to me to begin with! A woman with a bright green swimsuit posed stiffly, arms crossed in front of a DeLorean in some city, crooked, with a bright flash doe-eyed at the viewer.
I found the direction, location, outfit choice, etc. quite easy to parody comedically and so I chose the exact opposite of what the shot was outside of the outfit. I picked water wings and a nose pincher, posed in a shitty gravel parking lot in the daylight in front of my friend’s Subaru (with the doors bungee-corded open because they kept shutting at the slope of the lot).
I want people who view my parody to see that there should be a story and that story should more often be told with more average and relatable body shapes. You can create art and be unique without needing to be sexy. You can say a lot and do so much more if you open your mind without having to be so stereotypical. I enjoyed that I could do that and I had a blast!
Boxio3: Personally, it really varied. When I first came up with the idea to be covered in noodles it was super exciting as it was a ridiculous thing to choose, but I was really happy to attempt to execute it.
Then, during the shoot, as I was photographing myself, in the shower, covered in noodles - it was hard! I was just cursing myself for picking to be covered in noodles. The thing was though, I was really passionate about the photo that I chose and I was determined to make it work so I did. Even afterwards, I couldn’t get the smell of noodles out of my mind for ages, haha.
Lorena Orlando: I wanted to feel like the model in the original picture, in terms of how I felt in that pose, how all the parts of my body felt, it was uncomfortable for me, given my body type and my lack of flexibility. That was interesting to notice, how something that seemed very natural in the original picture was nothing natural or comfortable for me.
Maral: When I first saw the original picture one of my first thoughts was “Why is one of the models wearing her jeans backwards?“.
When we decided to put on the jeans of my model also backwards, I first was unsure if this would take the seriosity away. But we want to expose some ridiculous scenes that take place in the photography of young women by some male individuals and this is meant to be a parody.
For me it was important to achieve this exposure in my piece, plus that my models (age 60+) feel the result and love it. And they do, they proudly shared it with their friends and couldn’t be more proud about this project, even if they don’t understand this whole NFT space.
Care: When I took the photo, I tried to do it without underwear like the original but although I do artistic nudes all the time, this one was too uncomfortable, the pose was unnatural for me and naked, I couldn't do it. Then I decided to do it but it was more natural, simpler and without feeling out of my comfort zone, at the time the result did not convince me at all. I left the photo at rest, until one day I reviewed the entire record and this filled all my expectations of what I wanted to convey with "The Gaze".
Care: @careverdeazul
Eleonora Penza: This is a hard one. I felt real. I felt raw. I felt uncool and ugly. I felt free. Liberating myself, my body and my image from the idea of the cool, always put together, beautiful, always in a good flirty mood, never problematic in a not very pretty way, woman was like vomiting years of feeling compelled to be inhuman.
Years of my issues being overlooked because of how I looked or acted, sexual assault and just ugly experiences which stemmed from the perception people had of me - and wanted from me. I showed a weakness, I showed addiction and the need for mental illness meds, and I rarely talk about it. Final answer is: scared and free.
Nana Hank: It was supposed to be a comedic portrayal. I thought long and hard about how to approach this topic. It was important to me to find an intersection of images that I have perceived in recent years on the subject and have tried to show a change of perspective in the image, which spirals the absurdities even more into the comic.
Dreamer Resurrected: My first response was excitement over the fact that I would have a platform to talk about this finally. And only just realized while writing this, that normally I would've felt a bit of nervousness or had second thoughts while creating a photograph like this one, but the only thing I felt was excitement, validation, and pure joy. And I believe that was because I didn't feel alone since these seven brilliant artists were working alongside me.
Dreamer Resurrected: @dreamsresurrect
Them Frames: Looking at Reconquest in its completion, how do you, as a group, feel about the execution of the project?
Boxio3: That’s a tricky question to answer, as I don’t believe we see Reconquest as complete. It won’t ever be complete until the issues that we’re trying to bring to light have stopped. I think we all see this as just the beginning, and we’re hoping to onboard as many new artists as we can to make this a welcoming, inclusive and powerful project.
In terms of the execution, it was all super free and open and we could all essentially do what we wanted and be responsible for the story that we wanted to tell with our own Reconquest. I think we all really enjoyed that and it allowed us to make all of our pieces uniquely ours.
Them Frames: It’s likely some people reading this won’t necessarily see the problem with the original images you based your work on, what’s your response to those people?
Lorena Orlando: Not everyone has questioned why objectification is so problematic, for many reasons, one of them being that it is comfortable for the mind not to question things because it leads to existential crisis.
When you are on the privileged side of not being uncomfortable with that it’s difficult to see the problem. I would say to them that the exercise of putting themselves in another's shoes can change their perspective of life. If they are willing to do it, empathy is free for everyone.
Lorena Orlando: @vocesferales
Them Frames: The sexualization of the female form is a polarizing topic. When we debate photographers using sexual images to earn money, I feel there’s a component to the topic that’s often overlooked, the models. What’s their role in this conversation? Are they as culpable as the photographer, or is it their right to express themselves in any which way they wish?
Nana Hank: There are always two sides of the coin. I find it difficult to speak of "culpable" here, because a team usually consists of several sides. Responsibility can of course always be shifted back and forth, but we assume responsible people who either agree or don't agree.
As a photographer you work with model contracts in which the conditions are determined together or you don't get together as a team. Everyone has the right to express themselves as they wish. Joint agreements and the awareness of what you are doing and conveyed to the outside world would be nice if that were on a common ground.
Nana Hank: @nanahanketh
Them Frames: The project brings up an important topic of debate, beyond that, what is your desired outcome with the project? Also, are there plans to create more work like this as a group?
Maral: The desired outcome may be unrealistic and utopic to be honest: Bringing a sustainable respect and acceptance of any kind of body shape, age and gender to the art world. Finally moving away from the norm of sexualized young women in promiscuous poses as the "portraits" of women most likely to sell. Making it normal to call out abusive and repressive behavior in this space without being canceled as a victim.
Since this is an ongoing, centuries-long fight in history, our mission will naturally continue as well. We hope to onboard more and more artists of different age, body shape, sexual orientation and disabilities. We deserve to be seen and our work is worthy of being collected!
If you would like to own any of the pieces published in this article, you can do so by visiting the Reconquest Objkt page.
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