Through an unflinching lens, we witness R.Bliss' most intimate moments in relationships with men, women, friends and strangers. Using photography, Bliss explores her own perversity, laid bare in all its complexity. This is not a sanitised or romanticised portrayal, but a visceral and unvarnished exploration of the reality of her experience.
With a likeness to that of artists who revel in obscenity such as Bruce LaBruce, Nan Goldin, Ran Hang & Peter Berlin, Bliss’ 35mm film photography, handwritten diary entries and personal contents are laid out and exposed into a page-turning piece. The graphic imagery of nudity and blood are not used for shock value, but as a testament to the rawness and vulnerable nature of human intimacy. This is contrasted with softer moments from Bliss’ life, moments of humour, romance and melancholy. Love is a declaration of autonomy, a rejection of societal expectations, and a celebration of the unapologetic self. Making the viewer question their own hesitance to the imagery, which is met with a desire to find the beauty in what some see as shocking and extreme.
158 pages, 21 x 27.1 cm, softcover, MOM (Melbourne).