Stefan Grosjean (43)

Stefan began to explore fine art photography in 2009. Combining an interest in classical figure studies with a feminist perspective, he became intrigued by such questions as:
 

• At what point does erotic photography become exploitative? Is this an integral characteristic of adult-oriented industries, or are there contingent factors that determine such a threshold? How could such factors be identified?

• Does the male gaze necessarily function in a negative capacity, or does it instead become problematic simply through its imposition of value? Does the imposition of value through a negative capacity then become characteristically "evil", or should the entire problematic of value be examined in the context of its specific occurrences? What are the mental health implications for men and women when such problematics of attraction are universalized? 
   

• Is there a link between today's depiction of women in pop culture and the archetypical roles assigned to women by traditional sources, such as the bible? Is the polarization of typified roles assigned in the depiction of women absolute, or, does a continuum of variation exist that might instead simply imply such extremes? By way of example: If fashion models inferentially correspond to the role of Maria (“the saint”), and erotic models to the role of Eve (“the whore”), how can any woman position her own self-image within the experiential world? Can such depictions instead be blended, or otherwise formed into dynamics of variance?
   

• What is a healthy way for us, as a society, to deal with sexuality and the growing public presence of adult-oriented industries?

In engaging with these topics, Stefan successfully experimented with the advanced lighting techniques which allowed him to develop his signature style of “low light look combined with high image quality”. The result has been museum-caliber imagery that, timeless in its own right, provides a stable position from which to pursue the above-outlined inquiries.