New York City photographer Max Papendieck launches his latest project “Body of Work” depicting the beauty, power, and complexity of the human body.
75 prints, 47 individuals, and one day. That’s how Max Papendieck, a New York City fashion and beauty photographer for brands like Vogue, Maybelline, and Ralph Lauren, created his newest personal project entitled “Body of Work”.
He collaborated with art directors Jasmine Holm and Marcus Holland to depict the true essence of the human body through its raw beauty, power, and complexity.
More often than not, individuals fall into the devastating throes of society’s unrealistic and unattainable beauty standards, losing perspective on what beauty is. Through this collection, Papendieck sought to show the rawest and realest form of the human body.
“Bodies are incredible. They’re just this vessel and everyone has a different one and the beauty is beyond that.”
“I want to show them something deeper and show them everyone is beautiful. Oh my god, everyone is beautiful,” said Papendieck. “Bodies are incredible. They’re just this vessel and everyone has a different one and the beauty is beyond that.”
From a blind, albino female, to a bodybuilding male, or a 70-year-old Irishman with a prosthetic penis because he’s just overcame prostate cancer, each individual enthralled Papendieck with their uniqueness and extreme comfortability in their own skin.
Photographing nude models allowed Papendieck to capture the incredible vulnerability and self-love of each person. “If you’re rolling around in lingerie or even in a dress there’s something. You have this shield, that’s what clothes are. They’re like a shield or protection, a second skin. This is just them,” said Papendieck.
With the intention of evoking intense emotion in his audience, Papendieck immediately set the tone with a bold red cover of dark lips. Red has infinite meaning, —love, anger, courage— but no matter how you look at it, it’s intense; it’s emotional.
He emphasized his desire to inspire and leave an impactful message with his audience. “With this book, I just want to show how beautiful the human body is,” said Papendieck.
While this personal project was quite different from his typical assignments and he at times felt overwhelmed, he expressed how unbelievably rewarding it is to create something on your own, see it come together, and find yourself. “Personal projects are like you’re thrown out into the middle of a field where there’s no deadlines, there’s no direction, and you can go any which way you want,” said Papendieck. But from this, he’s found an awakening and hopes to create more.
“I did this for my career and it became something that shaped me mentally in a positive way where it just broadened my eyes to the bigger picture and made everything feel so small.”
To Papendieck, this collection is more than just pictures. “I did this for my career and it became something that shaped me mentally in a positive way where it just broadened my eyes to the bigger picture and made everything feel so small,” said Papendieck. “It impacted me more than anyone that will go through the book.”
The limited edition publication launches with a special exhibition in New York City on Saturday, Aug. 26 at Peninsula Art Space, 13 Monroe Street, New York, NY 10002 (4-8pm)
