Welcome to this edition of [book spotlight]. Today, we uncover the layers of 'The Hunt,' by Céline Bodin . We'd love to read your comments below about these insights and ideas behind the artist's work.

"The Hunt" by Céline Bodin is a thought-provoking work that delves into the cultural and historical significance of female hairstyles within Western culture. The book serves as a sort of brief encyclopedia, presenting a series of photographs that capture the diverse and intricate hairstyles that have adorned women throughout various periods. Bodin's work is not just about hair; it is a multi-layered study that explores the materiality of hair, its role in conveying identity, and its historical significance, particularly in relation to the Victorian "hair medallion." These medallions, decorative keepsakes made from a loved one’s hair, act as a bridge to the past, evoking themes of memory, loss, and the enduring nature of personal connections.

The figures in Bodin's series are presented almost as if they were ornate statues, with each hairstyle embodying different aesthetic associations and revisiting stereotypes linked to femininity, power, and social status. The anonymity of the subjects in these photographs encourages viewers to project their own interpretations and fantasies onto the images, which range from sensuality and innocence to notions of order, freedom, and frivolity.

Through this exploration, Bodin makes connections between traditional portraiture and contemporary photography, between personal identity and collective memory. "The Hunt" resonates with the aesthetics of classical art while inviting readers to reflect on the mystical and iconic aspects of hair and its representation in art and society.

“In a quest for ideals, hair has always been central to the expression of female beauty and a major tool of perfectibility.”

"In The Hunt, the portrait of an individual shifts towards the representation of pure form," reveals Céline Bodin, delving into the depths of identity and femininity through the lens of hair. This interview peels back layers of Bodin's work, unveiling the symbolic power and cultural significance of hairstyles that transcend mere aesthetics. She probes the essence of hair as "a symbol of wilderness and social domesticity alike," challenging viewers to confront and reinterpret the stereotypes and archetypes embedded within. Drawing from personal experiences and historical references, Bodin crafts a narrative that intertwines the sacred and the profane, urging a reevaluation of the familiar. Step into a dialogue that transcends time, inviting a reflective journey into the silent stories told by the tresses that crown our heads.

Conceptual Genesis: What inspired you to create “The Hunt,” and how did you decide to focus specifically on hairstyles as the primary subject matter?

The notion of cult of femininity lies at the heart of all my projects and I am interested in the principle of typology, in particular the projections of ‘female types’, definitions of beauty, the anticipation of portraiture, the presence of the body watching itself being watched.

I was prompted by the reading of a book titled ‘Le Féminin et le Sacré’ by Catherine Clément and Julia Kristeva. It is an exchange of essay letters between the two writers, interrogating the origins of the cult of femininity and its sacred character. One particular essay analyses hair as an element that is extremely gendered, sacralised, as well as profane. Hair is a transformable bodily element conferred with spiritual and sexual power. It is also a daily reference for the definition of what ‘type’ of woman one might be.

I am attracted to the ambiguity of hair as an object of temptation, its connection to belonging and discipline, to submission, subservience or on the opposite as an emblem of freedom; it is a symbol of wilderness and social domesticity alike.

Research Process: Could you share more about your research process for this project? How did you select the specific hairstyles and periods to feature in your series?

I describe the series as ‘a brief encyclopedia of hairstyles in the western world’ because it certainly is a collection of hair aesthetics, but I must admit it is a sentimental one: of hairstyles that have touched me personally, as iconic visuals, rather than a practical chronological guide to styles. There is something more mystical in the approach, aiming to create my own cabinet of curiosities as I re-imagined these all-too-recognisable characters; and they are so curious to me.

Being a woman allowed me to draw upon my own experience to reveal the archetypes that had paved my ideas of femininity, whether they were from eras of cultural revolutions or based on strong characters that lead new trends amongst women.

The references looked to particular periods (some aesthetically still active) such as the Victorian era, the 20’s and 30’s, the 60’s, the 70’s punk, or the skinhead. Others were inspired by specific individuals that have transformed our notion of womanhood or are pointers to popular culture, as seen in films, paintings, or imagined from books.

You might find resemblances to Vermeer’s muses or representations of influential female figures such as Queen Elizabeth the Ist or Marilyn Monroe, opposites yet both trendsetters. Josephine Baker, the Countess of Castiglione, Nabokov’s Lolita, French Empress Joséphine, may also make an appearance, with the hope that all should find echo within the viewer and their own catalogue.

A few of the styles are also more understated ones - glimpses of everyday visions - and I enjoy the varying degrees of care between them all, some are intricate and stifling, while some act as breathers across the pages.

Materiality and Identity: In “The Hunt,” hair serves as a pivotal element for exploring identity. How do you approach the relationship between materiality (hair) and the concept of identity in your photography?

In a quest for ideals, hair has always been central to the expression of female beauty and a major tool of perfectibility; it is the one true malleable organic element of our bodies. Visually, it is extremely satisfying, but a heavy subject in its cultural voice.

It is undeniable that hair has always played an essential part of women’s lives, their time, their position in society, or rather the position they decided against.

It is also a pointer to beliefs: hair touches the spiritual. It is considered a sacred body part, heavily charged with eroticism (and for it, an object of punishment). So, it embodies the notion of sacrifice: the control of one’s body to confer a sense of beauty, order and belonging. I find fascinating how hairstyling relates to obedience and servility as well as rebellion.

Stereotypes and Archetypes: Your work revisits and questions stereotypes associated with female hairstyles. How do you hope your viewers will confront or reconsider these stereotypes when viewing your images?

In The Hunt the portrait of an individual shifts towards the representation of pure form. The hairstyle becomes the subject of the image, and it is somehow disassociated from the person and the body. It is like a live entity in its own right. To me these become creatures, and that is what I hope the viewer might sense: this gendered, type-defining design is a construction, a sort of surreal element that transports the viewer to a matter of aesthetics. The hair is fixated in aesthetics and classification, and the female herself is transformed, much like undergarments throughout time have transformed the female body shape to the point where, in past centuries some men did not know what it really looked like nude.

My point is that the stereotype is an attachment, a box, at times repressing, and the way I portray the hairstyles reflect this idea of a framed trophy – hence the title – a fixated idea onto a fluid, evolving being. It is both a critique of the ‘boxing of female types’ and a celebration of this ability to shift character. The references are sometimes obvious and sometimes not, but it is as an ensemble that the photographs have the strength to resurrect images that are already assimilated, in order to reconsider and interrogate our perception of them.

Artistic Influences: Which artists or movements have influenced your aesthetic approach in this series, particularly considering the classical and mystical elements present in your work?

I can’t say that there was a particular visual reference, but antique busts have certainly influenced my earliest conception of the images: the way these fragmented bodies stand oddly on a plinth, anxious to make a lasting impression of power, asserting their rank, yet so static and separated from life.

These thoughts, associated to the coldness of Hammershøi’s painted subjects, and the vernacular, found images of female characters through the ages, have certainly impacted my ideas for the series.

And I guess I should mention that some of my favourite photographs ever taken are of women from the back, where one imagines the context and course of action mainly based on who their character may be according to their hairstyle – and here I will mention Henry Wessel and Cindy Sherman.

Photography vs. Memory: You draw a connection between hair medallions and photography as means of portraiture and memory. How do you see your work contributing to this historical dialogue?

I have a fascination for ancient types of representation and with this series I am drawing a connection with pre-photographic representations. During the 19th century, and before the existence of photographic portraits or their democratisation, it was common to preserve the hair of a loved one, often sculpting or braiding it into an ornament, before placing it into small frames or jewellery. This habit reflects hair’s quality as a material entity synonymous with intimate identity.

The prints from the series are miniature: each measuring 14.5 x 14.5 cm, drawing a connection between photographic portrait and hair medallions, to honor the principle of reliquary. While emphasising the idea that hair keepsakes are photographic portraits’ ancestors, the series also features female hairstyles as collectible remnants of historical value and deep sociological significance.

Anonymity in Portraiture: The figures in your series remain anonymous, transforming them into universal symbols. How does anonymity shape the narrative of your project, and what challenges did it present during the creation process?

Our understanding of the female character is dominated by our personal catalogues of history of art, images each one of us keeps stored within their mind, as well as vernacular images, literary and mythological characters. I wished to highlight the fantasy that each viewer may project on a portrait, drawing upon one’s personal impressions of sensuality, innocence, order, freedom, frivolity and social rank, transferring learnt images and preconceived types onto it, hence the use of anonymity as a form of semi blank canvas: the outline of a character is shaped, and the viewer’s response is essential to its reading. It was the variety of femininity’s definitions that inspired me to imagine a reading based on pure evocation.

I notice these very mechanics at play in my own way of looking. My obsession for real faces is battling with mental images that I wish to project onto them, and a desire to collect them. In The Hunt, each model is photographed with their back to the camera. It is like a personal challenge: I don’t always allow myself to see my subjects - something I have experimented with in my other series where I use blur or cropping-, and instead force their bodies into new images conferring them with certain universality.

Future Directions: Having explored hairstyles and their cultural implications, are there other aspects of identity or cultural history you are interested in investigating in your future projects?

All my work is dedicated to the cultural markers that have amounted to our current understanding of female identity and its representation. I have worked on the subjects of hairstyles, historical painted representations of women, the cult of Venus/Aphrodite… My future project is carrying on the same impulse, looking back at aesthetic elements that have impacted the female experience and influenced its course, this time related to garments. The format is the same, respecting the genre of typology, but mainly working in the darkroom for now. I won’t say too much as the work isn’t finalized yet!

To discover more about this intriguing body of work and how you can acquire your own copy, you can find and purchase the book here.

Céline Bodin (Website, Instagram) is a distinguished contemporary artist, whose work deeply explores the themes of identity, femininity, and the historical significance of hair within the framework of Western culture. Her unique approach combines meticulous research with a profound conceptual understanding, resulting in captivating images that challenge and engage viewers.

Publication: Her notable monograph, "The Hunt," published by Radius Books in 2022, is a testament to her dedication and insight into the cultural and symbolic dimensions of hair. This work has been recognized for its depth and originality, offering a limited edition that is sought after by collectors and enthusiasts.

Bodin’s educational background includes a Master of Arts in Photography from the London College of Communication, and a Bachelor of Arts in Photography from Gobelins l’Ecole de l’Image, Paris. Her academic journey laid the foundation for her artistic exploration and critical approach to photography.

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