Arnoldas Kubilius (b. 1982) was born in Lithuania and lives in Luxembourg. He has an MA degree in Translation and Interpreting. Arnoldas’ photographic research focuses on the male form: its abstracts, shapes and shades. After nearly two decades spent researching how to visually represent the male body without falling into visual and thematic clichés, he feels it is time for him to publish his first book. In the future, Arnoldas hopes to experiment with video and installation.
(h)ombres
According to the critic John Berger, “to be naked is to be oneself; to be nude is to be seen naked by others and yet not recognised for oneself. A nude has to be seen as an object in
order to be a nude”.
Arnoldas’ visual research is based on this distinction between the naked and the nude. When seen closely, some of his images of male bodies, photographed in isolation and without revealing the face, still carry vestiges of identity: wrinkles, scars, moles, and scabs are all specific attributes that show respect and tenderness for those photographed.
Objects become subjects and then objects again, going back and forth; a result of male gaze on male bodies, which reveals Arnoldas’ wish to get closer to these bodies and dig deeper in his analysis of inner selves, gender representation, human flesh and aesthetics thereof.
The photographs, taken at unusual angles and arranged in a sequence that allows the lights and shadows as well as forms to dialogue and trialogue, creates a flow in which these bodies meet. Floating, dancing, interlocking, and at other times hiding from each other as well as from the viewer.
The project title “(H)ombres” combines the Spanish word “hombres” meaning “men” and the French “ombres” meaning shadows.
To view more of Arnoldas Kubilius’s work please visit his website.