DESCRIPTION
In the Victorian era, a fuller figure was synonymous with prosperity. But the 20th century eroded this perspective. Thin became synonymous with disciplined, capable, and successful. Excess weight was increasingly viewed as a mark of indulgence or carelessness.
For girls who didn’t fit into these slimmed-down molds, life could become unbearable: body dysmorphia, social withdrawal, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and tragically, in too many cases, suicide. Sophie knows these struggles intimately. But unlike some, she found a way to channel her pain into art.
When I look at Sophie, I don’t see what she sees. Where she sees pain, I see beauty. Where she sees a flawed body, I see the figure of a Paleolithic Venus, a goddess, full and powerful, the essence of femininity, embodiment of fertility, of creation. In my photographs her self-hatred intertwines with my admire of her beauty.
AUTHOR
Mari Saxon (real name Maria Sakson), fine art photographer, architect.
Mari was born in Moscow and lived there until 2022, when she moved to the USA. By education and profession, she is an architect with over 25 years of experience. In her youth, she bought a semi-professional camera and spent about 20 years as a mediocre amateur photographer in her free time. In 2022, she discovered fine art photography, and within the first year, she achieved some success. In the new country, she left architecture and fully dedicated herself to photography, which became her profession and passion.
In the year and a half that she has been involved in fine art photography, she has already received international awards. Her works are exhibited in the USA, Russia, Europe, and Asia.
My honors in 2024:
• IPA (Finalist, single image)
• HIPA (Finalist Black and White Category, single image)
• Critical Mass Top 200 Photolucida (Finalist)
• Nominated emerging photographer of the Hamburg Portfolio Review
• URBAN Photo Award (Semifinalist, single image)
• Belfast Photo Festival (Shortlisted, project)
• FAPA (Nominee in Portrait category, single image)
• FAPA (Nominee in Conceptual Category, project)
