Marc Erwin Babej Exhibition – Mask of Perfection

What happens when our subjective perceptions of natural beauty are confronted with the plastic surgeon’s scientific, geometry-based standard of beauty?

Beauty as product? – What happens when our subjective perceptions of natural beauty are confronted with the plastic surgeon’s scientific, geometry-based standard of beauty?

The women portrayed by Marc Erwin Babej are all in their Twenties and conform to perceptions of beauty in our current society. New York Cory plastic surgeon Dr. Maria M. LoTempio was given the assignment to do what it takes to “upgrade” these “patients” according to the standards of her profession. All “patients” were initially evaluated via a set of five clinical images and then examined in person. Finally, they were marked with pre- operative markings – the Mask of Perfection. The images in this series were taken in this state. No procedures were performed following the images.

Sin título-3

Marc Erwin Babej and plastic surgeon Dr. Maria M. LoTempio have selected and portrayed twelve women focusing on the tension between our ideal of natural beauty and the standards of plastic surgery. For the photographer, the emerging beauty ideal of plastic surgery represents a radical shift in the understanding of beauty itself: it has become a line item on a shopping list. Whether this development is liberating or cheapens the concept of human beauty (or both at the same time) is a matter of individual judgment.

“I tried to visually superimpose the ideal of beauty surgery onto the traditional, subjective perception of beauty in order to show discrepancies and tensions between the two.” Marc Erwin Babej

The style of representation aims to prevent knee-jerk “for” or “against” reactions, and instead to inspire individual reflection. This is achieved by dual alienation effects: The markings “mar the view” of the subjects, preventing viewers from immersing themselves in their natural beauty. Meanwhile, the romantic, aestheticizing style of portraiture was chosen to bar viewers from overly identifying with the plastic surgeon. At the end we are confronted with two masks. But can we still see the beauty behind them? If so, which?

Botox injected into the muscles of the forehead and crow’s feet, to minimize wrinkles. Filler injected into nasolabial folds to smooth out the depressions. Filler injected into the cheekbones to create a more symmetrical look.
Botox injected into the muscles of the forehead and crow’s feet, to minimize wrinkles. Filler injected into nasolabial folds to smooth out the depressions. Filler injected into the cheekbones to create a more symmetrical look.

Galerie Julian Sander

Opening: Friday October 23rd, 7-9 pm

Prinz-Albert-Str. 12

53113 Bonn, Germany
www.galeriejuliansander.de

More Stories

I’m not my body – A story about euthanasia by Michel Petillo

I’m not my body – A story about euthanasia by Michel Petillo

It sets out to document that euthanasia, contrary to suicide, is not triggered by a severe depressive state. It is a conscious decision and a deeply human journey where the dichotomy of right and wrong must make way for compassion and hope.
The White Whale by Robert Darch

The White Whale by Robert Darch

Born in Birmingham, 1979, Robert Darch is photographer, educator & curator based in the South West of England. He holds a MA with distinction in Photography & the Book and an MFA with distinction in Photographic Arts from Plymouth University.
Felicific calculus by Eric T.Kunsman

Felicific calculus by Eric T.Kunsman

The felicific calculus is an algorithm formulated by jurist and reformer Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832) for calculating the moral rightness of an action by balancing the probable pleasures and pains that it would produce. Bentham, a utilitarian philosopher, believed this calculus could, in principle, help determine the moral status of any considered act.
https://www.dodho.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/bannerpr.jpg

We invite you to participate in the first edition of the Portrait Photography Awards. Our call is open to any artistic interpretation of portrait photography.

https://www.dodho.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/BAnImage.jpg

ImageRights provides intelligent image search and copyright enforcement services to photo agencies and professional photographers worldwide.

https://www.dodho.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/mono2022.jpg

The best 100 images along with the winning images published in the yearly book “Monochromatic – Best Photographers of 2022”

Call For Entries #24 | After 23 editions and more than 100 published photographers, our print edition has proven to be a simply effective promotional channel.

Long Island; Wrapsody by Luke Wynne

Long Island; Wrapsody by Luke Wynne

Growing up in the Great South Bay of Long Island’s south shore, the waters of the bay and the nearby Atlantic Ocean were key influences on my formative years.
Living in Peace by Pedro Sutter

Living in Peace by Pedro Sutter

This work I am sending you is about witnessing and taking part of the peace process of Mozambique back in 1992-1994, during the ONUMOZ (United Nations electoral mission).
Profound Azores II by Paulo Monteiro

Profound Azores II by Paulo Monteiro

In the introductory text of the first part of this series, kindly published by Dodho magazine, I wrote that I had started this work in 1998. However, in reviewing my file, I noticed that I started it in 1995.
Solitude and Loneliness

Solitude and Loneliness

In English there are two words to identify the two types of loneliness that can be felt: loneliness, which defines a state of negative solitude, normally imposed; solitude, which defines the state of being alone, but not feeling alone. 
The wonderful world of Scott Stulberg

The wonderful world of Scott Stulberg

Albert Einstein said "Imagination is more important than knowledge", and with that camera, my photographs let my imagination come to life.
Phobias; Touch the sky by Andrea Koporova

Phobias; Touch the sky by Andrea Koporova

Is serie from summer 2015. Andrea Koporová in this art work mirrors the story of a man with his little fear and uncertainty took a step to happiness.. "touch the sky"
Anatomy of a Photograph by Anja Matko

Anatomy of a Photograph by Anja Matko

The equipment I used was my Canon 5D mark II with Canon EF 50 mm 1.4 USM lens. Considering that the photo is a self-portrait, I also used a tripod and a wireless trigger.
For Sarah- the African princess by Dagmar Van Weeghel

For Sarah- the African princess by Dagmar Van Weeghel

There are other inspiring African ‘ Sarah’ like figures -who will make it out in the world through adoption and other avenues.
The state of emotional destruction; Bandage Portrait by Kai Nagayama

The state of emotional destruction; Bandage Portrait by Kai Nagayama

This series I named Bandage Portraits. It is meant to explore the state of emotional destruction and resilience. It is so easy to be ignorant to your own feelings even though you are aware of them.
Architectural shoot; Gehry’s Children by Andrew Prokos

Architectural shoot; Gehry’s Children by Andrew Prokos

Andrew’s fine art photographs have been exhibited at the Museum of the City of New York and are included in numerous corporate and private art collections across the USA.
Inside the Camera Bag of Richard Murai

Inside the Camera Bag of Richard Murai

In addition to using protective lens filters, whether in transit or in the field, I package bodies and lenses in plastic bags. I have duplicate lenses for each body so I rarely change lenses in the field.
Photo Shoot; Black Swan by Zuzu Valla

Photo Shoot; Black Swan by Zuzu Valla

I met Olivia on stage, at a performance of anything goes, where she was playing a lead role. I was the Designer & Head Make-up & Hair Artist for Vintage Styling during the show.
Wedding day by Mikhail Ekadomov

Wedding day by Mikhail Ekadomov

The visual code of a wedding in the post-soviet states reflects in general a desire to show some sort of grand scale, some material prosperity.
Five minutes with Jorge Barreda

Five minutes with Jorge Barreda

Jorge Barreda is a 23 year old fine art photographer who is currently living near the Mexico City area. His studies are based in Melbourne, Australia, and Mexico.
Landscape and people; Tuscany by Jimmy Williams

Landscape and people; Tuscany by Jimmy Williams

It’s a privilege to photograph the same timeless surroundings from which Renaissance Masters once drew inspiration.Every time I visit Tuscany, I expect its beauty to have succumbed to the trappings of modernity and tourism.
Children Portrait : Alina Mayboroda

Children Portrait : Alina Mayboroda

There is so much sincerity, light, and simplicity in children portrait, it is so interesting to take pictures of them as they are full of love, surprises, and are generally open to the world. I love and am fascinated by children's eyes

Featured Stories

Fishshot by Javier Corso

Fishshot by Javier Corso

Fishshot is a documentary project about loneliness, emotional isolation, and sentimental repression in Finnish society. These problems go further when the people start drinking to fight against them. The excessive consumption of alcohol is present in more than half cases of suicide, homicide and gender violence.
Still Life – Mushrooms by Dale M. Reid

Still Life – Mushrooms by Dale M. Reid

Today my subject matter features floral, mushroom and pear studies. My mission is to capture and present a unique perspective that engages the viewer and embodies a concept or tells a story.
Last Love by Yaroslava Tarasova

Last Love by Yaroslava Tarasova

A family of two elderly people is not something that is associated with a crazy reckless love, but it is a possibility not to be alone, something which gives meaning to one’s life.
Joxe Inazio Kuesta ; Just a simple glance trapped in an image?

Joxe Inazio Kuesta ; Just a simple glance trapped in an image?

This reality can be a landscape for some, a portrait for others, a building for others, etc. ... In my case, the type of photography I do is street photography and documentary, and the main goal of almost all of them is the human being, and more specifically their glances.
Le chat noir by Le Turk

Le chat noir by Le Turk

Le Turk was born one night simply when listening by chance to Bach's Saint John Passion, nice and loud in headphones.
The Tribal Heartland of India by Tania Chatterjee

The Tribal Heartland of India by Tania Chatterjee

Bastar is the tribal heartland and treasure trove of ancient Indian culture. Today Bastar, is a part of the State of Chhattisgarh, India. It is a land of undiscovered surprises, with mysterious forests, breath-taking waterfalls
Alternative family album by Frank Rodick

Alternative family album by Frank Rodick

These images are part of what I’ve called an “alternative family album.” With one exception, I constructed each work using vernacular photographs from archives discovered after my parents’ deaths.
Roadside motel by Fang Tong

Roadside motel by Fang Tong

The “ Roadside motel” series is a continuation of last year's project “ On the Road”. Life is a journey. People always look around while they are on the road.
I am South Africa by Carla Kogelman

I am South Africa by Carla Kogelman

Creativity and positive focus and energy are for her the base and the ingredients for growth. To develop, to grow, to have a richer live as a human being.
Mike Ruiz, The photographer to the stars

Mike Ruiz, The photographer to the stars

Ruiz, who is of French Canadian and Filipino-Spanish ancestry,was born in Montreal in 1964, but raised in Repentigny, Quebec, Canada.
Curious Devices by Jeanette May

Curious Devices by Jeanette May

Curious Devices project was selected and published in our print edition 23. Jeanette May’s still lifes reveal our complicated relationship with obsolete technology by juxtaposing the seductive designs and the inner workings of Curious Devices. Her photographs display a reverence for finely crafted merchandise, industrial design, and scientific wonders.
Life and culture in Ethiopia by Trevor Cole

Life and culture in Ethiopia by Trevor Cole

These images are a cross section of the diversity of life and culture in Ethiopia. The tribes of the Omo valley, the Afar of the Danakil desert and the Orthodox christians of the highlands.
Olympe Tits : Visual Artist

Olympe Tits : Visual Artist

Olympe Tits is a self-taught photographer. Born in Marseille, 3rd April 1992, she has now settled in Antwerp, Belgium. She combines this with a life as a contemporary dancer, teaching at the Royal Ballet school of Antwerp and choreographing for dance-theatre pieces.
Off-Season Santas by Mary Beth Koeth

Off-Season Santas by Mary Beth Koeth

An ongoing portrait series of off-season Santas. Santa Roy is a retired police officer who, in 1984, was named one of the Top Ten Law Enforcement Officers in the State of Florida.
Pride and prejudice by Renata Dutrée

Pride and prejudice by Renata Dutrée

Pride and prejudice project was selected and published in our print edition 23. This ongoing series of studio portraits of young men is intended to challenge the viewer with social constructs that are centered around masculinity and femininity. Gender bias, gender roles and stereotypes can affect everyone negatively.
Heroes by Erberto Zani

Heroes by Erberto Zani

Acid attack survivors in Bangladesh. In Bangladesh most of the people called them “monsters” or, sometimes, “victims”. But they prefer to be considered “survivors”. For me are heroes.

Trending Stories

Chiarascuro by Graeme Youngson

Chiarascuro by Graeme Youngson

In photographic terms it’s usually taken to mean photographs taken in strong low sunlight where the highlights retain detail but the shadows are left well alone.
Athens fish & meat market by Milos Bicanski

Athens fish & meat market by Milos Bicanski

At the Athens Central Market, the air rings with the cries of traders hawking their wares. “Red mullet, fresh red mullet,” they call out to passersby. “Hello, my friend! Fresh meat, good price!” The current building housing the city’s main fish and meat market
Intervalos Acidentais by Antonio Florence

Intervalos Acidentais by Antonio Florence

Everything that I think and desire has the single aim of thinking about the unifying these fragments, these enigmas and these frightful randomnesses. How would I support my own humanity if man were not at the same time a poet, a decoder of enigmas and redeemer of randomness?
Aesthetic vision; Black & white of Francesco Merlini

Aesthetic vision; Black & white of Francesco Merlini

After a start in fashion photography, I have begun a collaboration with the photojournalism agency Prospekt and the website of independent journalism Dust.it.
The Pursuit for Happiness by Christina Czybik

The Pursuit for Happiness by Christina Czybik

The american philosopher and writer, Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: “Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting some on yourself.” The secret of happiness is not the pursuit of possession but rather of giving. One who makes others happy, will become happy –
Geneva Reminiscences by Patrick Jacquet

Geneva Reminiscences by Patrick Jacquet

This unique series merges 160 years of history within one single image. Like normal “before/after” projects, the goal is to start from historical views of Geneva, Switzerland, retrieve the exact original point and take the actual picture.
Negative lifestyle habits; Temptations by Jens Kristian Balle

Negative lifestyle habits; Temptations by Jens Kristian Balle

Keeping this definition in mind the conceptual Temptations series was created fixating on the negative lifestyle habits and addictions of humans around the world.
Sylvia Rosa Kahl ; Between two worlds

Sylvia Rosa Kahl ; Between two worlds

Sylvia holds a Masters degree in English: she completed a research paper in linguistics at Yale University in the USA where she lived for a year.
Huis clos by Kathleen Meier

Huis clos by Kathleen Meier

The series Huis clos confronts us with a suggestive confinement. What happens in us when we are faced with a desperate situation ? What do we feel when we no longer have a connection with the outside world ? Disorientation and loss of contact with the outside world put us into a physical and mental isolation and can lead us — in a conscious or subconscious way — to modify our relationship with the external reality.This maze slowly conducts us into a mental illness.
Chicago; Stories to be Written by Steve Geer

Chicago; Stories to be Written by Steve Geer

I like to take long walks in Chicago, the city in which I live. Even though I’ve walked the same streets many times there are always new things to see.
Conceptual photographer ; Ruslan Isinev

Conceptual photographer ; Ruslan Isinev

Ruslan Isinev is a talented self-taught conceptual photographer based in Moscow, Russia. Now he is 26 and his name is really famous in Russia and nearby countries.
Vitamin D by Taushik Mandal

Vitamin D by Taushik Mandal

Healthy bones need vitamin D to absorb calcium and phosphate from our diets. These minerals are important for teeth and muscles as well. A vitamin D deficiency can make bones go soft, weak and leads to deformities.

Other Stories

stay in touch
Join our mailing list and we'll keep you up to date with all the latest stories, opportunities, calls and more.
We use Sendinblue as our marketing platform. By Clicking below to submit this form, you acknowledge that the information you provided will be transferred to Sendinblue for processing in accordance with their terms of use
We’d love to
Thank you for subscribing!
Submission
Dodho Magazine accepts submissions from emerging and professional photographers from around the world.
Their projects can be published among the best photographers and be viewed by the best professionals in the industry and thousands of photography enthusiasts. Dodho magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any submitted project. Due to the large number of presentations received daily and the need to treat them with the greatest respect and the time necessary for a correct interpretation our average response time is around 5/10 business days in the case of being accepted.
- Between 10/30 images of your best images, in case your project contains a greater number of images which are part of the same indivisible body of work will also be accepted. You must send the images in jpg format to 1200px and 72dpi and quality 9. (No borders or watermarks)
- A short biography along with your photograph. (It must be written in the third person)
- Title and full text of the project with a minimum length of 300 words. (Texts with lesser number of words will not be accepted)
This is the information you need to start preparing your project for its presentation
To send it, you must compress the folder in .ZIP format and use our Wetransfer channel specially dedicated to the reception of works. Links or projects in PDF format will not be accepted. All presentations are carefully reviewed based on their content and final quality of the project or portfolio. If your work is selected for publication in the online version, it will be communicated to you via email and subsequently it will be published.
Contact
How can we help? Got an idea or something you'd like share? Please use the adjacent form, or contact contact@dodho.com
Thank You. We will contact you as soon as possible.
Submission
Dodho Magazine accepts submissions from emerging and professional photographers from around the world.
Their projects can be published among the best photographers and be viewed by the best professionals in the industry and thousands of photography enthusiasts. Dodho magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any submitted project. Due to the large number of presentations received daily and the need to treat them with the greatest respect and the time necessary for a correct interpretation our average response time is around 5/10 business days in the case of being accepted. This is the information you need to start preparing your project for its presentation.
To send it, you must compress the folder in .ZIP format and use our Wetransfer channel specially dedicated to the reception of works. Links or projects in PDF format will not be accepted. All presentations are carefully reviewed based on their content and final quality of the project or portfolio. If your work is selected for publication in the online version, it will be communicated to you via email and subsequently it will be published.
Get in Touch
How can we help? Got an idea or something you'd like share? Please use the adjacent form, or contact contact@dodho.com
Thank You. We will contact you as soon as possible.