2021

Elfie Semotan’s work cannot be assigned to any single genre. Even in her commercial commissions, Semotan creates timeless dream images instead of ingratiating object presentations. The photograph featured in this EIKON edition was taken in Kritzendorf in 1978 and is therefore one of the earliest fashion photographs taken by Semotan. The dramatic lighting and the model’s glamorous appearance stand in stark contrast to the vaguely discernible surroundings. The nearly placeless background, an integral part of every composition of Semotan’s, lends the scene an almost dreamlike character.
Through distinct stylistic devices – the emphasis on gesture and the seeming non-staging – as well as her keen power of observation the photographer approaches the model and fashion not as much with an eye solely dedicated to selling, but with a sensitivity to the object-subject-relationship within the glittering consumer world.

Read an interview with the artist done by Ferdinand Schmatz in issue #114 (“A Walk Between Things”, EIKON #114, p. 26-37)