SUMMARY
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
Standards of beauty bombard us on the daily. But for Ayla Reyes, a 23-year-old photographer and graphic designer, “beautiful” is arbitrary and can be redefined to be more inclusive and diverse.
In her thesis photo collection, which she shared on Facebook, the University of Santo Tomas – College of Fine Arts and Design graduate recreated pieces of classical art – like Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Alexandro of Antioch’s Venus de Milo, Myron’s Discobolus, and Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring – to feature people with disabilities or features society may not consider “ideal.”
Anomali is a portmanteau of the words “anomaly,” meaning abnormal, peculiar, or unconventional, and “ano’ng mali?” which is Filipino for “what’s wrong?” It attempts to break away from the archaic and impossible standards of beauty and asks: what’s so bad about being different?
“I started this project as an ode to those with physical disabilities and anomalies to empower them,” Reyes told Rappler.
“I thought it would be a good idea to make it an advocacy as well because it would be such a statement to juxtapose the old ideals brought by classic art with people who represent a more diverse view on beauty,” she added.
Reyes said that the photo series touched on a very personal and sensitive topic. “But after meeting my muses, I immediately felt that they are some [of] the strongest people I know. I consider them inspirations because they were able to rise above their insecurities and difficulties.”
The photo collection features 11 people with conditions and disabilities from various backgrounds. They are each paired with classic artwork interpreted in a modern way.
Sarah Pimentel, who reimagined Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres’ Grande Odilesque, stressed the importance of inclusivity and raising awareness for people with conditions and disabilities face because they, too, “deserve the spotlight.”
“Usually kami yung nasa background, nobody wants to see us kasi we’re not perfect — it’s always the picture-perfect, model-type, magazine-type. So by doing this shoot, we could let people know that ‘cause we’re different does not mean that we’re not perfect as well,” she said in the collection’s feature video.
(Usually, we’re in the background, nobody wants to see us because we’re not perfect — it’s always the picture-perfect model-type, magazine-type. So by doing this shoot, we could let people know that ‘cause we’re different does not mean that we’re not perfect as well.)
For 14-year-old Olivia Garcia, a cheerleader-dancer in her school, it’s the misconceptions on her disability that made the work significant. “Sometimes they feel scared of me because they think I’m not normal and they think I have a disease because of my hand,” she said.
Garcia, who portrayed Edgar Degas’ little ballerina in L’Étoile (The Star), added: “And when I touch them they think that when they wake up in the morning, they’re gonna have it because I touched them. Because I have a disability and there’s something wrong with me.”
According to Reyes, none of the muses in the photo series were professional models, which made the project more special and inspiring for her. “Most were shy since none of them were professional models but everyone knew it was such a good opportunity to make a strong statement so they were so kind to help me, and were moved by the concept.”
Anomali was awarded outstanding thesis in 2020. You can access the rest of the photos in the collection on Behance. – Rappler.com
Paolo Alejandrino is a Rappler intern.
Add a comment
How does this make you feel?
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.