Is a nude or sexual image of a woman inherently objectifying? Not necessarily. But it depends on whose lens we’re seeing her through, and what their intentions are. With cis-het men pulling the strings of the sex industry, erotic images of women – both moving and still – have historically served to disempower us. But more recently, waves of queer and/or female creators, performers, and workers have set out to reclaim the narrative. 

It’s this shift that inspired a photo book and exhibition from London-based Filipino photographer Ezekiel, titled SMUT: Volume 1, Transgressions. On show at Satellite, Peckham [from February 16 until 26], the project explores the everyday lives of women working in the sex industry. Under Ezekiel’s deliciously soft gaze – which blurs the boundaries of art, erotica, documentary and fashion – the photos offer an alternative take on “a part of sexuality that our culture deems most ‘transgressive’, and repeatedly vilifies.“ Transgressions is the first instalment of a broader series from the artist interrogating contemporary attitudes toward sexuality. 

“When you examine the way that women and female sexuality is depicted in mainstream pornography,” the photographer tells Dazed, “you see that it’s a direct reflection of how our heteronormative society deems them: a commodity for the straight male gaze.” So, after studying lesbian filmmakers like Emilie Jouvet and Shine Louise Houston, whose queer adult films have challenged the status quo of mass-produced porn in recent years, Ezekiel hoped they could do the same.

“I try to steer away from ways of working that were established by white heterosexual male photographers who founded the art form” – Ezekiel

Under patriarchy and capitalism, women’s sexuality is caught in an impossible double bind. The sexual woman is at once dreaded and desired; lusted after and loathed. This is nowhere more epitomised than in the sex industry: a sector booming in popular demand, meanwhile, its workers are stigmatised and disparaged. They explain: “I wanted to emphasise the beauty of what they do and how they carry themselves, through a new and intimate perspective… one that wasn’t so roughly ‘masculine’ and hard.” 

In delicate and often dream-like images, the project documents Ezekiel’s friends and women they met online: we meet Sasha Swan starting her career as a cam girl and recovering from breast augmentation surgery; Miss Annabel, who is a receptionist by day and dominatrix by night; and Samantha, a pole artist and stripper who performs at nightclubs and fetish parties. 

In the sheen of latex or the web of black lace stockings – shots of supple flesh and the curves of bare backs and breasts – the women’s livelihoods are framed with a near-hypnotising beauty and grace. “From my personal experience, in queer culture, sexuality and sex work aren’t commonly seen as an issue or a negative, because historically it has been a way of survival for many of us,” elaborates Ezekiel. “SMUT is a way for me to highlight this difference.”

Ezekiel worked with stylists, set designers and makeup artists to evoke classic fashion photography, though their approach to shooting is informal (“I try to steer away from ways of working that were established by white heterosexual male photographers who founded the art form”). The photographer encouraged their subjects to pose freely and naturally in ways that made them feel comfortable and empowered. The result is a fusion of realism and fantasy; undeniably erotic, but distinctly dignified — even peaceful.

Ultimately, SMUT invites viewers to “question their own perception of sex work and make them internally examine any feelings they may have towards it — whether good or bad,” concludes Ezekiel. This instalment is just the beginning, and though the artist remains tight-lipped on where the next volume in the series will take us, viewers are promised a sneak preview at the Transgressions exhibition.

Visit the gallery above for a closer look at some of the work on display in Transgressions. 

Transgressions by Ezekiel is running at Satellite in Peckham, London, from February 16 until 26 2023

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