Esther Sabetpour
I am a London based photographer, artist and storyteller of Scotish - Iranian parentage. I explore transformation, through intuative self portraiture and embodied performance. I work with with notions of identity using environments which reflect my phycological, physical or emotional landscape. Using photo montage, moving image and performance in my self portrait process, which began in 1998.
As a photographer and burns survivor, my self portrait process boosts my welbeing emotionally and physically. This liberating spiritual process enables me to embody and interpret potent feelings and themes I feel trapped, which I cannot seem to be express through words. Through the repetion (and recordings) of often slight, slow, intuitive movements, I begin to experince another relationship to my self and stories.
The process enables me to tune in to my feelings and make contact with layers of trauma within my body. In 2017 I began a dance based embodied movement practice. This practice enabled me to uncover fragments of my dramatic story, a near fatal accident ( Which I have no memory of) which happened in Spain August 2010.
In June 2022 my portraiture work developed into perfomance. Then I began filming my own self portrait/embodied movement performances. I performed part of my emboyment process for a live audience in November 2022. This London show was curated by Osman Yousefzada.
I consider my self portrait process to be a powerful catalyist for re-evaluation and change, with the ability to transform my percived position and the way I feel about myself.
As a photographer and burns survivor, my self portrait process boosts my welbeing emotionally and physically. This liberating spiritual process enables me to embody and interpret potent feelings and themes I feel trapped, which I cannot seem to be express through words. Through the repetion (and recordings) of often slight, slow, intuitive movements, I begin to experince another relationship to my self and stories.
The process enables me to tune in to my feelings and make contact with layers of trauma within my body. In 2017 I began a dance based embodied movement practice. This practice enabled me to uncover fragments of my dramatic story, a near fatal accident ( Which I have no memory of) which happened in Spain August 2010.
In June 2022 my portraiture work developed into perfomance. Then I began filming my own self portrait/embodied movement performances. I performed part of my emboyment process for a live audience in November 2022. This London show was curated by Osman Yousefzada.
I consider my self portrait process to be a powerful catalyist for re-evaluation and change, with the ability to transform my percived position and the way I feel about myself.
Powerful images. The shroud works really well.
ReplyDeleteThank you . The shroud or covering looks very powerful in action when you sit it change my form during performance. You can see this on my instagram esther_ramnath
DeleteYes, these are lovely images, very quiet and thoughtful. i'm wondering if you want to show them as a sequence of images and maybe experiment with putting the still images in a different order (not chronological) from the live performance and see what that suggests to you in terms of approaches to narrative and ambiguity?
ReplyDeletesorry, above comment is from Gen Doy. I haven't got the hang of putting my name into these yet.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteDear Gen thank you for taking time to comment. I have yet to think about sequencing and you have inspired me to mix it up. I also feel so close to the work I feel a bit stuck . So I’m going to discharge some more emotions on it then work as you suggest.
DeleteThe call was for a single image; if push came to shove which of these two images would best suit your presentation? We are looking at an image for a 160mm square positioning and hoping to give our readers the best visual impression of any artist
DeleteI would like to show the image where I am covered by the scarf - thank you Esther
Deletebeautiful yet vulnerable images
ReplyDeleteIn my experience of performance I am able to address my trauma without distractions of usual life. It gives me time to be vulnerable and reflect. Would you say you had a similar experience?
ReplyDeleteBtw this is Jessica Warren
DeleteExactly- it does by providing a unique sense of safety to explore trauma. In everyday life I feel a sense of shame in sharing or reluctantly as I feel alone in my experience.
DeleteThese photos emphasize the performer's narratives and also tell stories themselves. Beautiful, convincing work.
ReplyDelete