Noâs 1,5,7,8 from the series âAlinaâ
Noâs 1,5,7,8 from the series âAlinaâ, 2004
Bettina von Zwehl (b.1971)
Unlike traditional portraits these photographs reveal little about the individual identity of the sitters. The women are anonymous and presented in a deliberately neutral setting, posed identically and wearing white vests.
As this hints, Von Zwehlâs main interest lies not in physical appearances but in the emotional, or inner state of her subjects. This has led one critic to refer to her work as âpsychological portraitureâ.
Like many contemporary artists she tends to work in series. What is unique is her imposition of sets of controlled conditions on her subjects such as photographing them whilst holding their breath, or woken after a deep sleep.
These 4 photographs are part of a series of 12 and were taken whilst the women listened to a piece of music. Written by the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt (b.1935), âFur Alinaâ, was a gift for a young Estonian woman living alone in London. The piece can be heard on the headphones.
In this way, these introspective and melancholy portraits demonstrate universality and shared experience.
C-type print mounted onto aluminium
Purchased through the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme with Lottery funding from the Arts Council England, 2005
