Bodies

Added on 30 Oct 2009 by Mitch Poole

Liverpool's newest exhibition space, The Gallery, at 41 Stanhope Street opened last night with a controversial inaugural exhibition by local photographer Stephanie de Leng.

The exhibition Body Landscapes comprises a series of photographs that challenge the airbrushed, blemish-free misconceptions of 'beauty' which appear in the media. The series of photographs represent the bodily imperfections that we all possess. By photographing random people and taking images of the parts of their body that they struggle to love or accept, Stephanie has created an exhibition that confronts our deepest insecurities about our own bodies.

Some of the images will shock and others will leave the viewer in wonder as to what the issue is of concern. Some images create beauty in the 'imperfection', perceived or otherwise.

The rationale behind the exhibition is to be provocative and to challenge the images that we are fed through the media of impossible blemish-free, ageless skin and unachievable body shape. The airbrushed images that confront us on a daily basis make us all feel inadequate and can lead to insecurity, depression and physical illness. The exhibition shows real people and is uplifting in that it represents the body as it really is found to be, scars, moles, rotten teeth, the normal human body without the gloss.

I cannot think of an exhibition that has reached me on so many levels in a long time. The quality of photography is stunning and the descriptive testimonies that accompany each image provide a candid and often touching narrative.

The Gallery is a fantastic new addition to Liverpool's growing roster of exhibition spaces. Body Landscapes runs until 26 November, entry to the exhibition is free and The Gallery will be open from 10.30-17.00 Tuesday to Saturday and 12.00-16.30 on Sundays.

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