Radical Beauty is a series of photographs in which I undertake a critical analysis of contemporary beauty standards, the mechanisms of digital self-presentation, and the relationship between the body, identity, and technology in the era of social media and digital editing tools. In this series, I combine my original photography with both digital and physical manipulation to create hybrid portraits that expose the paradox of digital self-creation: while tools such as filters and editing apps allow for emancipation and artistic expression, they simultaneously reinforce unrealistic standards, leading to the internalization of visual pressure.

The key formal technique used is intentional deformation – exaggerated facial features and grotesque proportions reveal the absurdity of the pursuit of digital „perfection” and unmask the technological mechanisms that construct such illusions. Through multi-stage processes – including intervention in photographic prints, scanning, collage construction, painting over the surface of photos, and digital manipulation – I emphasize the artificiality of „perfect” images, positioning my work within the discourse of post-photography. These distortions serve not only as a metaphor for social expectations but also as a tool for feminist empowerment: by transforming and magnifying physical traits, I propose alternative, radical visions of femininity that transcend patriarchal norms. Radical Beauty is a provocative inquiry into the boundary between creative freedom and enslavement by the visual fantasies sustained by contemporary culture.

This series is an integral part of my broader interest in the relationship between the body and technology, which I also explored in the series Body Editor – inspired by glitches in beauty apps – and The Promise of Sublime Words, based on the manipulation of images from art history. Together, these three cycles form a cohesive project examining how images – both historical and digital – construct and distort identity. The project has been featured, among others, in L’Œil de la Photographie (2021).

Ewa Doroszenko