BETTINA VON ZWEHL
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​"Each portrait in the series shows a young girl, in a studio environment, holding a live snake. The encounter between human and snake is at the core of each portrait, the slow and gliding movements of these mesmerising creatures quietly and subtly guiding the gestures of the sitter as she seeks to retain her composure and her poise.
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I am drawn to the snake’s unblinking stare, its sculptural presence, its symbolic potential, the beauty of its shimmering scales, and to its transformative presence in the frame of the image, evoking so many different associations; from fear and disgust to sensuality and feelings of awe. The girls approach the challenge of the session in their own unique way; a mix of anxiety, trepidation, excitement and also pride. The encounter with the snake as it undulates and coils across each young sitters’ body calls for her to find her own way to support it, guide it, protect it, and in some sense, to connect with it."

- Bettina von Zwehl, London 2016
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