#MYOWNGENDER

MY

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MYOWNGENDER

What does gender mean to you?
‘It was a seemingly offhand question when I got asked. Just a stranger’s curious comment that immediately had me rambling on about being attracted to a man or a woman or both or… well… something like that? Little did I know that this short interaction, and my awfully inaccurate answer, would be defining my work for the following three years. It’s what started #MYOWNGENDER and my exploration of gender.’

OWN 

GENDER

‘After three years, I’m still no gender expert. None of my team members are. And the thing is, this project wouldn’t be what it is today if we were. #MYOWNGENDER isn’t a project representing a group from within a group. We’re on the outside learning what’s going on inside – helping others to learn with us. We aren’t fighting our fight. We’re allying with someone else’s, strengthening the foundation of the stage they’re building. And during the past three years, I’ve seen the world around me change along with my journey. It’s a process. We aren’t there yet, it will take a while to get everyone on board, but let’s keep trying.’

#MYOWNGENDER is a project by Sevilay Maria.

As a photographer and artist, Sevilay Maria discusses modern-day themes through a photography technique from 1851. Within this duality, she looks further than the obvious, observing social issues rather than emerging with the subject. Sevilay Maria challenges herself to see beyond the distraction of the conspicuous to capture a unique self, as seen in #MYOWNGENDER, where she averts from any definitions, enabling a chance to see further. To portray a human’s truest self rather than gender.

As a photographer, she embodies a similar paradox as her work, merging the artistic creative with a boldly disciplined chemist. The storms of her past granted Sevilay an inexhaustible drive and an affection for the challenging way out. And so, while she’s an experienced digital photographer as well, it was the complexity of collodion wet-plating that has drawn her towards choosing this specific photography technique that relies on meticulous execution of the chemical process involved.

Listen to Podcast Cultuurmakers with Sevilay Maria
Play Video
— #MYOWNGENDER – Film by Joey de Leeuw en Sevilay Maria

The Book

— the book can be ordered by email

The #MYOWNGENDER book collects the stories and images that were gathered during the project in a luxurious design by Jord Noorbeek – for them to be retold beyond the limits of an exhibition. As collodion wet plating is known for its unparalleled depth and sheen, Sevilay Maria faced a great challenge when adapting her work to print for the #MYOWNGENDER book. At her request, the people of Rob Stolk created a new method to capture the soul of collodion photography on paper. By using three layers of silver ink and one layer of blue ink, the glimmer of a wet plate can be mirrored, while layering the ink through offset printing creates the contrasting highlights found in the portraits.

If you want to order a book, you can send me an email hello@sevilaymaria.com

The #MYOWNGENDER book collects the stories and images that were gathered during the project in a luxurious design by Jord Noorbeek – for them to be retold beyond the limits of an exhibition. As collodion wet plating is known for its unparalleled depth and sheen, Sevilay Maria faced a great challenge when adapting her work to print for the #MYOWNGENDER book.

At her request, the people of Rob Stolk created a new method to capture the soul of collodion photography on paper. By using three layers of silver ink and one layer of blue ink, the glimmer of a wet plate can be mirrored, while layering the ink through offset printing creates the contrasting highlights found in the portraits.

Play Video
— CULTUURMAKERS IAM AMSTERDAM  – Film by Danny Griffioen

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