MONUMENTS is a photography series that rethinks how the female body is shown. Instead of repeating familiar ideas about beauty or softness, the work presents the body as strong, present and individual. The images draw inspiration from nineteenth‑century French sculpture while avoiding its idealised and biased portrayals.

The project moves away from the look of traditional nude photography. I work closely with each person I photograph, focusing on presence and character rather than display. The aim is to show the body with dignity and agency. This approach aligns with my wider research on interdependence as a method, where creative work grows through shared attention, mutual influence and respect.
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The process is simple and collaborative. I work in a plain garage with no elaborate lighting or studio effects. This creates a direct and honest exchange between me and the person in front of the camera.
The images grow out of conversation, trust and shared decision‑making. Everyone involved, whether subjects, artists or assistants, is treated as a co‑author rather than a passive participant.

The project challenges old assumptions about who controls an image. Art history often treats the photographer as the authority and the model as passive. MONUMENTS rejects this idea. The people I photograph help shape the images, shifting the balance of power and breaking away from the old artist and muse dynamic.

The work also responds to the long history of women being shown as fragile, sorrowful or idealised in sculpture and photography. MONUMENTS refuses these roles. Instead, the images highlight strength, charisma and self‑possession.
The sitter is not shaped by the viewer’s expectations. They claim their own space.

MONUMENTS is an ongoing exploration. It questions how bodies are shown, who gets to decide and how images can be made differently. Through repeated cycles of experimentation and reflection, the project continues to evolve. Each photograph is part of a living process shaped by collaboration and critical thinking.

At its heart, MONUMENTS offers a new way of seeing. It presents the body as active, powerful and engaged, and the photographic exchange as a shared and evolving dialogue.