Yael Laroes Poll Publieksprijs 2020

Dense
I graduated with my series ‘Dense’. My work is raw, stripped out of comfort and is inspired by surrealism.
My series is about the gaze of the Western world, with the pressure from society. I want to give an image as fair as possible about the struggle with my own body. The uncertainty about my body dominates my life. I want to make people aware that society has a negative view of the thicker body.
I stare straight into the camera, making it nearly impossible for the spectator to escape the piercing image. It represents my inability to break free from my body and the prejudices that haunt me.
My uncomfortable postures show the struggle. The environment portrays the struggle through the harsh contrast of the environment, where the simplicity of the environment
draws attention to my body.
I don’t want to make my body more beautiful than it is. I didn’t photograph myself to show people my pride. I just want to show people how uncomfortable being overweight can be.