Karolina Bregula, Let Them See Us, 2003
Let Them See Us is a series of 30 photographic portraits of gay and lesbian couples holding hands. The project was created in response to discrimination against homosexuals in Poland, who often remain in the closet for fear of social ostracism. It was an attempt to break the taboo in public space by confronting the society with what it had repressed to the margins of visibility. The portraits were meant to avoid a sensational or extraordinary aura; they adopted the form of simple repetitive shots of ordinary people taking a stroll together. The photographs depict the people as they are in everyday life and highlight the similarity between them and the viewers. Apart from being shown at exhibitions, the portraits also featured in the first Polish billboard social campaign of the Campaign Against Homophobia. The initiative met with social resistance (attempts at blocking the campaign by the political party League of Polish Families, devastation of billboards), which only confirmed the necessity to oppose discrimination caused by sexual orientation and sparked off a debate on intolerance of homosexuals.
Although the manner of presenting photographs was different from the original idea – as posters depicting life-size figures facing passers-by – some of the tall billboards were destroyed.
(via lesblizards)
