Svetlana - Shibari and Autumn Flowers

New shibari work with Svetlana. We had an interesting discussion about sensuality and how it is perceived, which got me thinking about who the intended audience is for a given artwork, as opposed to simply a viewer. For instance, while men can see and enjoy my work, my art is really for women. My biggest fans tend to be women, the people who hire me tend to be women, and I think somehow it is visible in my work. I’ve occasionally received demeaning comments from other male photographers about my work, but I think it arises from a fundamental misunderstanding: it wasn’t made for them in the first place. Its for the woman in the photograph.

Many people, and men in particular, aren’t used to the idea that a certain work isn’t *for* them. I’ve been told “Oh, you’re just taking sexy/pornographic photos of attractive women”.. but the irony is that the woman who they see as an object of desire, is herself a woman with agency: she has a day job and a personal history, loves art and wants to experience the process. It is an easy mistake, to assume that you yourself as the viewer are the intended audience, that the works you see were made for you to enjoy and have opinions about, especially since for most of pop culture and media is designed around that concept.

My goal is to make beautiful art that is so good it can change how one sees the world, and in boudoir that means changing how a woman can see herself. And as far as that is a success, ultimately the only opinion that matters is hers. I’m not trying to tell men “look how sexy her body is,” I want to bring to life a fantasy that illustrates some aspect of her inner life.

Often that is entirely private,

and sometimes,

she gives permission to share that vision with the world.

You, and I, are guests in her garden.