I picked up references to religion, culture and also the male gaze to explore. I decided to contrast traditional religion and homosexuality (the male gaze) versus heterosexuality.
In some images, you have the model dressed in a cloth similar to a tutu but the way it is styled makes it look more like the big regal gowns usually worn by Benin kings. I wanted his look to represent gender equality. Might you ask why? In order to re-address what it means to be a man in this century.
You don’t regularly see men carrying trays on their heads with the exception of little boys hawking in the streets. This body of work is less about social constructs and more about how the images are arranged; in terms of contrast, in terms of color, in terms of light and shadow. Those are the little things I played with to make the concept more abstract.
It looks like an image of a guy which is really what it is. But then when you look deeper you start noticing symbolism, like his gestures, his face, his gazes and the props.
When you start picking out all these things, the whole effect will be highlighted by the mood of the picture