Deesses Fragiles (English, Dutch, Hardcover)

At first glance Desses Fragiles ( Fragile Goddesses ) portrays 100 lean naked women in black and white pictures. To photographer Lieven Herreman, however, it is, if nothing else, a self-portrait: a physical rendition of his search for a fragile and ambiguous self-image. The basic idea of his method is abstracting styling and self-image from his subjects. He almost forces them into surrendering to his camera and becoming his vehicle for the ultimate image. On the one hand, the woman wants to resist the attack she is goddess, she is strong and imposing but on the other hand she also wants to surrender she s also fragile and vulnerable. This duality of resisting and surrendering, of being goddess as well as being fragile, is the essence of Herreman s work. With an introduction by Johan Swinnen and an interview with the photographer by Nancy Vansieleghem. Published to accompany an exhibition at Gallerie Verbeeck Van Dyck in Antwerp, from October 4th until November 3rd, 2013. Text in Dutch with an English Summary.