I must have been about 12 or 13 years old when I first became acquainted with Helmut Newton. The internet being in its infancy at the time, I had come across a black and white book at a local bookshop containing some of the most striking pictures I had ever seen in my young life.

Newton’s photos were not only riveting, but the downright sexiness of the (sometimes) artless posing of his subjects conveyed a particular naiveté that appealed to me. This juxtaposition of sex and innocence with fragility and strength both impressed me and helped form my opinion of what the ideal woman should embody.

It was the beginning of a longstanding love affair that has seen me buy book after book of his work and periodically try to track down one of those legendary 1994 Lavazza calendars to no avail. His work was not only monumental for its dark beauty but it also had the unsettling effect of making one think of the life of the woman behind the picture.

I encountered that wide-eyed, sensuous vulnerability in a photo again last year with Steven Levi Vella’s Porn Sessions and, more recently, in his Black Porn Sessions.

Very much a journey down a dark alleyway at four in the morning

Exhibited in Shadow Club for one night only, the exhibition was split into two main parts: a series inspired by the Creation narrative as told in the book of Genesis, and a collection of Polaroids that were taken at night over the space of two months. Interestingly, Vella chose to combine the raw sexuality found in the timeless Adam and Eve story, which he himself has described as very sensually charged, with the instant gratification of the Polaroid photograph. What’s more, all the Polaroids are the product of impromptu shoots that took place on nights out, when photographer and subjects would be out partying, often in an inebriated state. This was purposely done by Vella, who wanted his subjects to be both open as well as uninhibited.

While the first Porn Sessions exhibition was very much about the light and somewhat sugar-coated aspects of sexuality, Black Porn was very much a journey down a dark alleyway at four in the morning.

What I have always liked about Vella’s work is how intently he digs inside himself and pushes his models to achieve the shot that he desires. The black and white Adam and Eve shots were not only Newton-esque in expression, but were also reminiscent of Ophelia, with models submerged in water in lost, almost sleeping poses.

In much the same way that Ophelia was very much a victim of circumstance and her own innocence, the Adam and Eve part of the collection paid homage to the purity of love, and the models looked softly untouchable in their watery graves.

Of course, thanks to this particular aspect, the second part, or night-time Polaroids, stood out even more distinctly. In direct contrast to the Creation series, Vella’s subjects defiantly looked boldly and directly into the camera, whether wearing sequins, fur or mermaid tails, providing a window onto a parallel, glamorous reality the casual voyeur can peer into.

The concept of innocence in eroticism was reworked completely, leaving a grittier reality for the viewer to digest. Vella’s approach is almost surgical at times, focusing on particular body parts or the way that a leg or arm bent, bringing forward a very particular view of the human body that was almost lyrical in its attention to detail. It was details such as these that made it very clear that Vella has the eye of an artist who is able to focus on the unseen.

What made the exhibition even more unique was the moving tableau of models who were seated and standing in fixed poses and adorned with gold tears, looking like they were keepers of the book of Polaroids that the audience were invited to write in.

It is not the first time that Vella has voiced his wish of being able to reach his audience on an emotional level and, with Black Porn, he was definitely able to touch a nerve and evoke a sense of decadent longing rarely seen on our shores.

If the greatness and relevance of art and photography are measured by their ability to make us feel and look within ourselves by shining a light into those corners we may not always wants to visit, then Vella’s efforts are certainly valid.

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