My friend, Sharon Johnson Tennant recently had the good fortune to meet Maika Elan on a recent trip to Vietnam, and Sharon kindly shared her work with me. Maika was born in Hanoi, and studied sociology at university before studying photography. Her work explores cultural themes of sexual orientation, of aging, of performance, and place. Her series, The Pink Choice, is a thoughtful series of portraits that look at a population that is seldom celebrated in Vietnam.
The Pink Choice
Homosexuality is no longer considered a big taboo in today’s world: people
have heard a lot of it, have almost come to accept it. Many can easily say they
are homosexual, or have homosexual friends. However, there still exists a large
barrier, when the notion of homosexuality is still limited to define what
homosexuality is and how “different” it is… The “acceptance” of the nature of
homosexuality is mostly based on sympathy, ignorance or even contempt. There
has not been any recognition and/or encouragement of homosexuality as human
right to love and to be loved.
Insufficient and sometimes wrong notions
of the community make homosexual people’s life very difficult. Depending on the
society’s level of open-mindedness, homosexual people choose to act in
different ways: Some gather at places like dance floors, karaokes, cafes.
Others, more discreetly, make friends via internet forums. Some male
homosexuals get married with women. Others choose to live alone. More
noteworthy are those many (both gay and lesbians) who choose to live together
openly as couples.
Thereon poses questions about their private lives: How
do they live together? How do they express their emotions towards each other?
What is interesting about their lives? Those questions, however, have remained
great taboos. People avoid asking them, avoid investigating them, and even be
scared of the possible answers…
Starting from my own curiosity, my own confusion and my
own motivation, as well as my insights into homosexuals’ lives that I myself
had a chance to witness, I wholeheartedly carried out this project: a
photography document about homosexual couples’ daily activities and their
private moments (called THE PINK CHOICE).
I want to tell the story by going into the great depth of
love and intimacy. I want to avoid stereotypes of homosexuality. I also want to
avoid the tabloid/shocking news style. I want to show simply how they care and
love each other in daily activities. More strongly, I want to show that their
loving and caring for each other is nothing deviant. They are all normal and
natural behaviors, attitudes, thoughts and emotions.
Love is beautiful, and we can only claim ourselves
supportive of homosexuality when we accept their love - and see it beautiful as
it naturally is!
Thereon poses questions about their private lives: How
do they live together? How do they express their emotions towards each other?
What is interesting about their lives? Those questions, however, have remained
great taboos. People avoid asking them, avoid investigating them, and even be
scared of the possible answers…
Starting from my own curiosity, my own confusion and my
own motivation, as well as my insights into homosexuals’ lives that I myself
had a chance to witness, I wholeheartedly carried out this project: a
photography document about homosexual couples’ daily activities and their
private moments (called THE PINK CHOICE).
I want to tell the story by going into the great depth of
love and intimacy. I want to avoid stereotypes of homosexuality. I also want to
avoid the tabloid/shocking news style. I want to show simply how they care and
love each other in daily activities. More strongly, I want to show that their
loving and caring for each other is nothing deviant. They are all normal and
natural behaviors, attitudes, thoughts and emotions.
Love is beautiful, and we can only claim ourselves
supportive of homosexuality when we accept their love - and see it beautiful as
it naturally is!
2 comments:
Beautiful work.
I love this work. So intimate, so timely, and so beautifully shot.
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