Bare beauty: Attitude’s Real Bodies photographer Fran Gomez de Villaboa on capturing ‘the surreal’
In the new issue of Attitude Uncut, we speak to Portrait of Britain winner Fran Gómez de Villaboa, who has photographed icons like Naomi Campbell and Anitta. Here's an extract of the conversation
Attitude – the world’s biggest LGBTQ+ media brand and Europe’s best-selling magazine for gay men – is launching Attitude Uncut, an all-new digital magazine that will be published six times a year (between Attitude print issues) and available exclusively on Apple News+ and via the Attitude app. Featuring long-read journalism inspired by themes resonating within the LGBTQ+ community, each issue will provide a deep dive into topics as varied as sexuality, identity, health, relationships and beyond. Below is an extract from our latest issue.
The older I get, the more comfortable I am with nudity, less insecure. At nudist beaches in Spain, I’m like: ‘Let’s get naked – whatever!’ It’s a way to fight demons and shame. The body’s a vessel. It’s what you learn, create and do with it that matters. It’s about the mind. Whoever you are, you must train your mind so you’re happy – with your body, with your life.
Real Bodies is a celebration of the body. I’ve shot inspiring people with restricted mobility and other disabilities, people of different ethnic backgrounds, genders – if your mind is strong, you can overcome anything, any struggles your body throws at you. But we’re brainwashed into not being happy with our bodies. Our minds don’t see what they need to, which is: we’re so fucking lucky to have them.
We must keep gratitude in mind, so we aren’t defeated by society’s standards and the way they use our insecurities to make money out of us.
Connection first
I start Real Bodies from a human place, by getting to know the subject. A conversation. How are they feeling? What are their needs, expectations? I want to understand the person I am portraying and create a connection before they could possibly strip down.
Sometimes, I propose people I know or admire. Lewis G. Burton, for example, the activist, DJ and London Trans+ Pride co-founder – I’d known of them for years.
They always pull amazing looks. I remember at their club night, Inferno, they wore a bag with a double-sided dildo as a handle, and Prince Alberts to hold it together. Iconic! Paris Fashion Week brought us together: they were in a show, walking in a red dress, black eyes, red lips. So cool. But they got so much backlash and online bullying. “Disgusting. Not fashion. A guy in a dress.”
I thought, what could be better for a person who’s exposing themselves so much than giving them a platform to show more; to share their point of view? They got full-on naked and were so vulnerable. The pictures remind me of Leigh Bowery.
Another favourite: Prinx Chiyo, the first trans boy I shot. We connected deeply and have hung out since. He got backlash too. The bravery of the subjects means a lot to me.
There was Joshua Dennis, who’s been in a wheelchair all his life. I first drew him in my life drawing class. A really clever person with an amazing story. One guy I shot, James Stravros, was deaf. Very handsome, an Adonis-like body, but so humble. He showed me you can communicate and connect without language, without speaking. It’s the power of understanding.
From sketchbook to shutter
Planning a photoshoot is like planning a holiday: researching, packing, constantly thinking. I enjoy the whole process, from sketching what I want to create to the actual shoot. When it goes well, especially if there are many people on-set, it can be a crazy, exciting, validating energy. But sometimes, you get the same feeling when it’s just you outside shooting flowers. It’s a way of seeing the world through another eye – through a lens.
The thread tying all my work together is my love of the surreal. There’s a hint of rule-breaking in everything I do. I love to distort, create abstractions, escape this dimension. Sometimes, I print pictures, then draw on top. Even, the fashion photography – I find a story behind it in my mind, but it’s up to the receiver how they receive it. There’s darkness, but also fun. I love exploring my love for humanity in my work: my values, ethics. After years of genocide and crazy politics that no one understands, it has been quite a struggle or crisis to keep this humility idealisation alive, to be honest. I somehow have digested all that pain and frustration and have turned it into a new me, who is aware of the world we live in and keep having a purpose. Which is not easy.
I find photography therapeutic. It helped me process my late mother’s illness, by capturing quotidian moments on those times. In a way to disassociate from that pain I was someone as a spectator while I was also enduring it. It helped me deal with really difficult moments. Not just my mum passing away, but other family issues and dramas too.
For more information, visit franvillaboa.uk and @gomezdevillaboa; for more information about Francisco’s award-winning Public Matter series, click here.
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