Contrasting Lens

Contrasting Lens by Chloe Clem

My ongoing visual research is driven by a fascination with bodies: their contrasts and difference; expressivity and sensation, inside and out. I continue to come across the word ‘lens’ when referring to the ways we view our bodies. I notice how, over time, the lenses through which we view ourselves zoom in, zoom out, warp, tilt, and shift focus. Many of our bodies grow into a world with a lens they have no control over, flooded by beauty standards we are force-fed by patriarchal culture. We are taught to believe that whatever we have, is not good enough. This photographic storytelling project seeks to capture parts of the body in a way we may have never shared before. These photos are mirrors for us to look at ourselves, all the parts that we may have felt shame over; to really look at closely, investigate, feel curious about, to feel love for. The shapes, colours, distinct form and texture. This ongoing project invites anyone, anybody - with their body and their story - to recreate the lens through which to view your body.

Bio:
Chloe Clem is a Walyalup (Fremantle) based artist with a background in graphic design, fashion design, art direction and event management, currently studying Community Development with a focus on Gender Studies at Murdoch University. She has spent the last six years cultivating her drive to express and confront intersectional issues linked to gender through a creative practice that addresses themes of the body, identity and the power of words and images from a feminist perspective. Chloe sees kindness, empathy and active listening as key principles in her work toward opening space for herself and others to communicate experiences of living within a patriarchal order.