We mostly witness only perfect bodies—women with zero waists and men who have built a chiselled physique—in the media. Over time, such ideas of perfection only promote unrealistic body image expectations. Raqeeb Raza—a resident of New Friends Colony—was no different. “Growing up, I had an unkind relationship with my body because we always try to achieve what we see in the media,” he shares.
The patriarchal norms of society and the limited definition of masculinity further created undue expectations for the 28-year-old photographer. His constant need of untangling an uncomfortable relationship with his body is what led him to create a space where he could express himself. His micro-blog @daintystrangerphotos on Instagram, Raqeeb shares, is a culmination of several “intimate portraits that explore intricacies of men’s sexuality”, and hence helps shatter taboos.
About deconstructing norms
Raqeeb’s practice started as a personal expression to address his body image issues. However, he soon started shooting his ex-partners and friends. After four years, Raqeeb’s work—it represents love, intimacy, sexuality, and masculinity—is challenging the entrenched patriarchy in culture and society.
The artist mentions that his work focuses less on getting the portraits right and more on exploring the body and communicating his ideas across. Consequently, his photography sessions—they usually take about five to six hours—are extremely personal in nature. He spends a lot of time talking to the subjects about their vulnerabilities as well as their experiences with their body so that the final product has an essence of the person in focus. “Every series changes according to the subject. It is all about how the person is and whether the person is being reflected in the series. If I have an idea in mind that does not reflect them entirely, I try to modify it.”
Initially, Raqeeb’s muses were men; as a queer man, he felt that he doesn’t understand women’s bodies. However, since 2020, he has also started taking photographs of women. “It isn’t gender restrictive. It is not only men, women, trans-people, or gay men. Everyone faces the same things because ours is a patriarchal society and, I think, sensitive people are the receiving end,” he adds.
Portraying nudity as art
In Kenneth Clark’s The Nude (A study in Ideal Form), the author writes: ‘To be naked is simply to be without clothes, whereas the nude is a form of art’. Drawing upon Clark’s comments, art critic John Berger states in his 1972 book Ways of Seeing that ‘Nudity is a form of dress’. Raqeeb’s experiments with nudity are in sync with these observations.
The artist, who is currently pursuing a PhD in English from Jamia Millia Islamia University, tries to “confront the reality of the body” through his style of nude photography. Many of his photographs have been removed from Instagram on account of violation of guidelines. While Raqeeb admits that he understands how important such guidelines are, he also mentions that there is a lot that needs to be done to carve a space for similar artistic content. “There are structural problems with Instagram. While I understand that they cater to a diverse audience, there needs to be definite guidelines as to what is removed when it comes to art,” he concludes.