Die Fotoausstellungen der Galerie LIK
24.11.2019 - 19.01. 2019
in der neuen Galerie LIK 17, in der Seidengasse 17 in 1070 Wien.
Vernissage am 24.11. 2019 um 15:00 Uhr. Anmeldung zur Vernissage HIER.
Fotoausstellung der Absolventin der LIK Masterclass künstlerische Fotografie
Sandra Kelch
POLEmics
Getting Rid of Insecurities
Foto: Sandra Kelch
POLEmics and Insecurities - Fotoausstellung und Inszenierung
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word “Poledance“?
Unless you are directly or indirectly involved with this sport modality, there is a great chance that you have probably thought of strippers, peep shows, prostitutes, or even alcohol, gamble, guns, or drugs. Well, this may not be your own fault. Most people unrelated to the world of Poledance have only come in contact with it in infamous, trashy movie scenes, music videos or in real life strip-clubs.
Poledance has, exactly for that reason, a very bad reputation and causes a lot of polemic.
“A polemic is contentious rhetoric that is intended to support a specific position by aggressive claims and undermining of the opposing position.
Polemics are mostly seen in arguments about controversial topics.*”
Poledancers often omit practicing this sport when taking up conversations in conservative environments such as work, within the family, or with the elderly, knowing that it may compromise their image. Sadly, that’s still how the world perceives Poledance.
Whereas we can’t deny the sexual appeal associated with Poledancing, it is by far not the only undeniable aspect of this complex sport.
Poledance is an extremely arduous and athletic sport, which requires discipline, courage and determination, just like any other sport. Poledance relates to other different modalities such as stretching, circus acrobatics, chair-dance, ballet, rhythmic gymnastics, floor-work and so many among others. It is an aerial acrobatics discipline, relating as well with trapeze, hoop or rope.
Poledancers nowadays are most likely neither strippers nor prostitutes, they are women like you and me. The woman you meet on the street, the woman next to you in the supermarket, your lawyer, your doctor, your neighbor, your friend. Women with their own lives, problems and body insecurities.
When a person with normal body insecurities starts to train Poledance, it becomes more confident in its own body, and the person’s self-esteem, emotional health, and mindset greatly improve. That’s not only because people gain strength and improve their general health and fitness condition, but because we learn to focus on the things we can do with our body instead of focusing so much on how our bodies should look like. In a world like ours, influenced by beauty magazines and social media, it becomes so easy to be insecure and unhappy with your body. It is so tempting to compare yourself to that Victoria Secret model or that social media fitness influencer. Your world looks not good enough, your life looks black and white, while the life and the body of others looks so much better, so much brighter, so much more colorful.
But while doing Poledance you learn to let go of your insecurities. You learn to focus on all the amazing things you are able to do with your body. You learn to express your emotions through this sport and you connect and look up to other dancers who impress you with what they can do, instead of with how they look like. The extra 5-kilos on your body, the muffin top, the not super toned arms, the cellulite, the lack of your six-pack suddenly seem far less important when you learn what you are able to do and achieve with your body. You learn to see the beauty in any body type and you learn to love your body for what it’s able to do. You learn to see the strengths and advantages, the uniqueness and with that, you see the beauty in all of us. Suddenly, the stereotypical dream body in the black and white world pressured for perfection turns into a bright and colorful world full of uniqueness and possibilities.
This Project was sponsored by Poletography Experimental Artistic - Pole Photography. Additional information about Poletography can be found in Instagram under the account @poletography.
*Wikipedia – Polemic
Wir laden Sie herzlich zur Eröffnung am Sonntag, den 24. November 2019 um 15:00 in die Akademie LIK mit der neuen Galerie LIK 17 in die Seidengasse 17 in Wien mit einer Pole Dance Inszenierung. Hier für die GÄSTELISTE registrieren.
Foto: Sandra Kelch
Fotografin: Sandra Kelch
Sandra Kelch
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Kelch had her first contact with the photographic universe at a very young age. When she was only 6, her mom gave her very first camera. Photographing as a hobby she spent her youth testing different things. Studying Art Communications as her bachelor she had the chance to deepen her initial skills in photography during the 4 years of her studies.
Years passed by still only photographing as an amateur till 2015, when following her heart, she decided to return to photography. In that year, she graduated the Digital Photography course in the LIK Akademie für Foto und Design, which she completed with excellence. Concomitant to that, she graduated as well LIK’s Fotodesign and Digital Photo Editing course.
Objects related to movement, colors and emotions is what attract her the most, what makes her feel at best when she is shooting sports and artistic events.
Currently Kelch is the official photographer of 2 rock bands and sports international correspondent for a Newspaper in her home country Brazil.
Kelch covered diverse extremely relevant soccer matches, such as semi-finals and finals of the UEFA’s Champions League and Super Cup. Last year, she was credentialed by FIFA to cover the Brazilian National Football Federation during all its time in the World Cup in Russia.
One of Kelch’s current projects, which is partially being presented in this Exhibition, focus on shooting acrobatic dancers, among others hoop-, silk-, rope- and poledancers.
