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Hansol Choi’s Disquieting Yet Seductive Photography

Korean photographer Hansol Choi (aka Rala) creates images that are simultaneously seductive and off-putting, carefully toeing the line between the two in a way that would do Freud proud. In a recent series, a model writhes behind a plant like a deranged Eros with his crimson, smeared lipstick and eyes rolled back in his head. In other pieces, models' hair becomes tangled in branches as they hide from the viewer. Choi's work is sexualized yet voyeuristic and the models' shy body languages makes us uncomfortably aware of our own prying gaze.

Korean photographer Hansol Choi (aka Rala) creates images that are simultaneously seductive and off-putting, carefully toeing the line between the two in a way that would do Freud proud. In a recent series, a model writhes behind a plant like a deranged Eros with his crimson, smeared lipstick and eyes rolled back in his head. In other pieces, models’ hair becomes tangled in branches as they hide from the viewer. Choi’s work is sexualized yet voyeuristic and the models’ shy body languages makes us uncomfortably aware of our own prying gaze.

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