All images by Irvin Rivera. Used with permission
Some people show the world that they love themselves through selfies. Photographer Irvin Rivera tells us that his photo project Amor Sui runs along that same vein of narcissism. His challenge for the project was to capture angles and ways that people that their own “self-love.”
Apparently, this can be complicated to do. “There is really no specific formula and on every session, for every subject, there is always something fresh, there is always something different to discover not just from my subjects but also from myself.” says Irvin in an email interview.
“It’s like a selfie, but it’s not. It’s like you’re doing a very dark anti-selfie project” are the words of one of Irvin’s friends. Because of the candid nature, Irvin tells us that the visuals just emerge and unfold as the shoot happens, that’s the beauty and the magic of this project. Irvin gave a bit of direction but also gave them freedom to do what they want–referencing that folks should go with the flow.
“My subjects would touch their faces and body parts in ways that can be photographed as if there are two different people making out.” says Irvin. Combined with the high contrast black and white look, the series has a very beautiful and hypnotic appeal. “As for the subjects I observed that for the most part it requires a certain level of courage to actually face and make-out with yourself in front of the mirror.”
“It is a very liberating and intimate project,”
More of the images are after the jump.
