The Personal Project

2022

The Personal Project explores sexuality, self-representation and the negotiation of identity of the subjects exploration of his sexuality later in life.

Drawing on the visual language of studio portraiture, Harley shifts control of the photographic act by giving the subject the shutter release and allowing him to make the images himself. Mirrors reveal Harley monitoring the photographs from outside the frame, making the act of looking, photographing and being photographed visible within the work. Questions of voyeurism, exhibitionism and anonymity become part of the exchange, while accompanying text messages trace how the conversation changes through the experience. Rather than simply depicting sexuality, the project considers the distinction between sexual expression and sexualisation, and who is ultimately able to control the image through which they are represented.