Bibi-Joan is an Amsterdam based image maker that currently investigates the relationship between sexual identity and image culture. Her work always responds to existing traditional views and stereotypes in our society.
Bibi’s project ‘Look at me‘ is a female exploration of the nude male body. The project began with her wondering why we see so little nude men in our visual culture.
What interests me is how imaging in the media influences our identity and behavior, especially concerning gender stereotypes. Out of curiosity I started to take pictures of nude men. The idea was to create my own view on the male nude, letting go of the masculine ideal. I photographed men in nature using a small camera that allows me and the model to move freely. In the resulting images you see an exploration of different kinds of body poses that are sometimes a bit unusual for men. Also, I wanted to see if I could give a different perspective to the stereotypical use of sexual symbols from nature by combining them with the male nudes. The images respond to the underrepresented female gaze on the male nude and the existing stereotypical representation of masculinity. I also wanted to show that a nude man can be seen as a work of art.
