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Natasha Caruana

The series of photographs by Natasha Caruana titled “Fairytale for Sale” presents approximately 200 wedding photos with the faces of the objects erased. Caruana found these images in websites advertising the sale of used wedding gowns, with the faces already blurred to disguise them. She investigates the trend of newly wedded women as they sell their wedding gowns – perhaps the single most important component of the perfect wedding fantasy. By removing their faces from the photos, women guard the personal memory of their own special days, even as they make it public and visible to all.

Caruana begins a dialogue with the various brides, pretending to be a future bride in search of the perfect dress. The former brides explain how the gown transforms its wearer into a princess, but only for a single day, then immediately loses its value to become redundant, necessarily discarded to make room for “real life” (whether because they need the money, closet space for themselves or their children, or due to divorce). The exchange of emails allows the artist to obtain high-resolution photos, and to delve into the reasons why their previous wearers are so anxious to rid themselves of them. Their replies become the text appearing on the wall alongside the works – a kind of index to explain the reasons why women’s faces are blurred and erased from view.

The obliteration creates a disturbing set of images, reminiscent of representations of victims and perpetrators of crimes. The violent act of removing facial features cuts loose an imagination formed of personal and collection recollection of trauma. While staged wedding pictures are supposed to validate the event, their facelessness transforms them into testimonials.

The boundless collection of weddings from all round the world, repeating itself into infinity, allows Caruana to examine the representation of collective experiences. She archives the images of the perfect bride, helping us identify the hidden mechanisms that guide and shape collective notions, and revealing us to be victims.

Exhibitions: