Fashion nominee

The myth of sea beasts is the inspiration for this surreal series of images by Janis McDavid. The central element of water, McDavid's childhood trauma, is the environment in which the photographs were taken. Without arms and legs, Janis cannot swim and thus enters an environment fraught with danger. In the fairy tale "The Little Mermaid," the mermaid strives to grow legs instead of her fish fin in order to win the love of the prince she rescued from a shipwreck and who reminds her of the marble statue that belongs to her. In the photo series Janis combines the figures of the stranded mermaid, the marble statue, Neptune and Odysseus of Ithaca. Classic elements of fashion photography, such as makeup and haute couture, interweave with artistic influences from literature and mythology. Playing with visual irritations despite or because of Janis' physique becomes a pictorial odyssey through gender overlap by means of makeup and styling, which tends to be assigned to women - a journey into the most topical issues of our time. A time in which diversity is highly valued and discussed.