portrait photography

Duality & Womanhood
As a photographer, coming from a land rich in folklore & traditions (Transylvania, Romania), I am deeply fascinated by the concept of duality. When I left home to live in Western & Northern Europe, I found myself confused, between Western & Eastern philosophies. Ultimately, I embraced the Eastern way of seeing duality: as a whole & complementary (think of yin and yang), unlike the Western one- as opposite forces. My muse and friend for this photo-shoot has a rich Egyptian heritage. She is one of the females that portrays the complementary view- soft and sensitive on one side, strong & independent on another. “The duality of order and chaos in Ancient Egypt, the living and the dead and the wet and the dry all are defined by the Nile and its annual floods.” Thus, we decided to collaborate for some portraits that will weave this concept into contemporary womanhood. A woman can be both soft & assertive, as well as a man in different contexts. Perhaps it’s time to let go of stigmatising personality traits and putting them on a good vs bad list, as all of them are dependent on the context. These photos are our own interpretation of feminism, duality & women as Goddesses.

Photography: Diana Dau @dianadau
Muse: Alia Wasfi
Art direction and styling: Diana Dau & Alia Wasfi
Photoshoot featured in:
Feroce magazine JUN 2019 (PRINT & DIGITAL)
Royal Photographic Society 100 Heroines “Unframing identities” exhibition
BEAUTIFUL BIZARRE ART PRIZE 2019