Melissa Faithful for Art-Sheep
British photographer Alva Bernadine is known for his surrealist photography with provoking content. His strange point of view in combination with his unique subjects create an atmosphere of absurd erotic mystery, mixed with a glamorous vibe. The photographer draws his influence from artists like Rene Magritte and photographers such as Cheyco Leidmann and Guy Bourdin.
This series of images is a surrealistic erotic game between his subjects and his objects, a perfect example of Bernadine’s style. The photographer uses naked women and small mirrors, creating a strange, sensual yet humorous feeling.”I have used mirrors before in my work but never in multiples. After initially trying to get as many into an image as possible, I then started thinking up different permutations, finally working my way back down to one mirror […]. As the mirrors were so small, you can only reflect a small portion of the body with one, which led me to try to reconstitute a woman with several,” says the photographer
The playful photographs both show and hide these women’s sexuality, without fully displaying what’s going on in them. This uncertainty the viewer is left with, aggravates the erotic effect, while it offers an inconclusive narrative the viewer needs to complete.
Alva Bernadine was named Erotic Photographer of the Year in Britain (2002) for his publication Bernadinism: How to Dominate Men and Subjugate Women.
