In Tokyo, in the maid cafes, where young waitresses take orders in maid costumes, you can order all kinds of “kawaii” food. For a small supplement, the hostesses come to draw a ketchup smile on your dish. (Katherine Longly)
In addition to the photographs and collages made on site, Katherine Longly gave a disposable camera to around ten people to document their relationship to food. Thus Yuki, who suffers from anorexia, only photographed calorie-free food, while Martijn, overweight, photographed all the sweets that appeal to him in order to protect himself from buying them. The whole of this work entitled To Tell My Real Intentions, I Want to Eat Only Haze Like a Hermit is exhibited until March 5 at the Galerie du Botanique in Brussels.
Ren was overweight as a child, she loved to eat. He was also called “Little Sumo”. At school, she made her meals last so long that it caused great tension with her teachers. Food was a way for her to isolate herself from the outside world. (Archive Ren)
Luca grew up in a family very concerned about good nutrition. She became anorexic when she was a teenager, without her or those close to her really realizing it. She is fine today and considers her diet to be balanced, but her pictures suggest she has not given up any form of control. (Luca)
A page from a Japanese magazine for young teens. The ideal sold here is 34 kg for 155 cm. Young girls can compare every part of their body to that of the model. (Katherine Longly)
Collection of “purikura”, a type of photo booth that young teenage girls are fond of. Algorithms lengthen legs, enlarge eyes, whiten skin and erase imperfections. The chosen pose tends to make visible the work of these algorithms. (Katherine Longly)
As a child, Martijn was overweight. One day, tired of being called a “ball”, he sacrificed all his sweets, and with them all pleasure linked to food. Eating then became only a way to have the necessary nutrients to stay healthy. He photographed all the sweets he wanted to avoid buying them. (Martijn)
Three collages made from old Japanese magazines and contemporary magazines targeting young teenage girls. (Katherine Longly)
Images of news, everyday life, art or great names in the history of photography… Find each week in the “In images” section, the choices of the photo service of Freed which favors singular, innovative or surprising writing. And because it has always been a concern of Release, also discover our Images pages in the weekend edition.
