Objectified

Exploitation, Appropriation and Self-Objectification (of the male figure) on the Internet
#AllPhotosUsedWithoutPermission

Images from the internet, displayed on my iPhone and iPad then re-photographed on 4x5 and 8x10 film.
An Ongoing Cyanotype Project.

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Shadow

10x8” Cyanotype on Arches Platine

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Sandow

5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine

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Rope

5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine

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Narcissus

5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine

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Cat

5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine

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1918

10x8” Cyanotype on Arches Platine

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In Bed

5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine

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Tongue

5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine

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Odalisque

5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine

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Charging

5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine

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Nipple

5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine

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Lyric

5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine

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Lift

5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine

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Foil

5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine

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Sink

5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine

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Hand

5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine

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Arm

5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine

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Towel

5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine

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Robe

5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine

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Show Me!

5x4” Cyanotype on Arches Platine

Objectified #AllPhotosUsedWithoutPermission

Objectified
Exploitation, Appropriation and Self - Objectification
(Of the male form) On the Internet
#AllPhotosUsedWithoutPermission

An Ongoing Cyanotype Project



There is talk of talk of exploitation and objectification in the air.

I am interested in how people present themselves in photographs. I’ve noticed how many images of men, posted on social media, objectify the subject. A good number of these images are selfies or clearly directed, then posted, by the subject. They are not the product of formal photo sessions. I take screenshots of these images and save them in my phone.

I then re-photograph the images I’ve collected. I acknowledge the digital nature of the appropriated material by inserting my tablet or phone into a still life setting, then shooting the scenes on 4x5 or 8x10 film and printing with cyanotype. Using these analogue techniques places images from the digital world firmly in the physical one.

I have begun to wonder if the new rules regarding exploitation and objectification extended to selfies. If I appropriate a selfie that objectifies the subject, who is the objectifier, who the exploiter? The person who creates the image, the one who appropriates it, or both?

To celebrate appropriation and the exploitative nature of these images, they are used without permission.

This is an ongoing project which will result in a hand-made, limited edition, photographic artist book and prints, all printed with cyanotype (no ink involved). 

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All images, design and text © 2020-2024 by David Sokosh.