A PUNCH TO THE STOMACH

A

PUNCH

TO THE STOMACH PHOTOGRAPHER JUAN PALACIO

Juan Palacio’s work often hits you like a punch to the stomach: even if there’s nothing grotesque or truly obscene about his pictures, they can come at you like a scream. In many ways indebted to a punk essence, they bleed humanity and seem eager to share some of their secrets.

If you were never to meet him, you would still get the sense that his images are propelled by honesty, which can seem scarce in fashion photography. Surely his formative years in graphic design help, a field to which he initially veered fearing he couldn’t afford to live practicing what he really loved. Happily photography’s pull was strong enough to make him take the plunge. Yet there’s a conflict between his deep attraction to the artistic aspects of fashion photography, its visual richness and the possibility of creating moments and spaces that revolve around attire, and his urge to render the ‘realness’ of human eroticism and physique, with an unflinching eye for the unique features of every inch of skin. That tension can sip into his compositions in intriguing ways, both alluring and imposing. And it pushes them to walk a tight rope between the expectations we hopelessly hold regarding beauty and ugliness.

Check his portfolios: they explore and blur the limits between documentary, fashion and erotic photography, all with a penchant for suggesting questions more than answers about the possible narratives they create.

As sometimes is the case in love, with his pieces what seduces you is not the feeling of knowing or understanding the totality of the scene in front of you, but the promise to keep finding new meanings to what we cannot help but feeling and doing.

By Álvaro G.

Paul Allan _ Portrait _ 2015

Paul Allan _ Portrait _ 2015

Paul Allan _ Portrait _ 2015

Texture _ 2009

Paul Allan _ Portrait _ 2015

Luisa _ Portrait _ 2016

Luisa _ Portrait _ 2016

Luisa _ Portrait _ 2016

Luisa _ Portrait _ 2016

Denis Gagnon _ Portrait _2016

Denis Gagnon _ Portrait _2016

Denis Gagnon _ Portrait _2016

Denis Gagnon _ Portrait _2016

Denis Gagnon _ Portrait _2016

Denis Gagnon _ Portrait _2016

Kumiko Hanjo _ 2015

Clown _ Portrait _ 2009

Clown _ Portrait _ 2014

Streets _ Portraits _2004

Carolina _ Portrait _ 2007

Carolina _ Portrait _ 2007

Carolina _ Portrait _ 2007

Carolina _ Portrait _ 2007

Vanessa _ Portrait _ 2014

Vanessa _ Portrait _ 2014

Native Earth_ Portrait _ 2012

Native Earth_ Portrait _ 2012

Test _ 2015

Martina La Peligrosa _ Portrait _ 2011

Andrea _ Portrait _ 2008

Ha_happening _ Portrait _2018

Wendy Guerra _ Portrait _ 2011

Wendy Guerra _ Portrait _ 2011

Norberto’s Family _ Portrait _ 2010

Streets _ Portraits _ 2004

Street _ Portrait _ 2015

Fuck you _ Personal _ 2006

Mel’s Wake _ Portrait _ 2018

Catalina _ Portrait _ 2009

Briga _ Portrait _ 2017

Isabelle _ Portrait _ 2015

Isabelle _ Portrait _ 2015

Isabelle _ Portrait _ 2015

Identity _ Personal _ 2005

Carolina _ Portrait _ 2009

Cristina _ Portrait _ 2003

Cristina _ Portrait _ 2003

Streets _ Portrait _ 2001

Streets _ Portrait _ 2001

Streets _ Detail _ 2016

Canada _ Rural Landscapes _ 2018

Canada _ Rural Landscapes _ 2014 _ 2018

Streets _ Landscape _ 2012

Streets _ Landscape _ 2016

Carolina _ Portrait _ 2009

Carolina _ Portrait _ 2009

Aura _ Portrait _ 2015

Aura _ Portrait _ 2015

Carolina _ Portrait _ 2009

Article 11 _ Portrait _ 2014

The Restaurant _ Portraits _ 2008

Portraits _ 2009 _ 2012

Portraits _ 2009 _ 2010

Party _ Personal _ 2012

Ha_happening _ Portrait _ 2018

Streets _ Portrait _ 2001

Streets _ Portrait _ 2001

Streets _ Portrait _ 2016

Carolina _ Portrait _ 2000

Carolina _ Portrait _ 2000

Streets _ Landscape _ 2016

Streets _ Landscape _ 2013 _ 2016

Streets _ Landscape _ 2016 _ 2012

Streets _ Landscape _ 2011

Streets _ Landscape _ 2013

Streets _ Landscape _ 2011

Streets _ Landscape _ 2016

Streets _ Landscape _ 2016

Prison Dancer Musical _ Portrait _ 2011

Prison Dancer Musical _ Portrait _ 2011

Prison Dancer Musical _ Portrait _ 2011

Streets _ Landscape _ 2016

Streets _ Landscape _ 2018

Streets _ Landscape _ 2013

Streets _ Landscape _ 2013

Streets _ Landscape _ 2012

The Void _ Personal _ 2018

The Void _ Personal _ 2018

Aluna Theater _ Motion _ 2012

Prison Dancer Musical _ Portrait _ 2011

Prison Dancer Musical _ Portrait _ 2011

We Happy Few _ Portrait _ 2018

We Happy Few _ Portrait _ 2018

Ecosystems _ Lanscape _ 2008

Ecosystems _ Lanscape _ 2008

Ecosystems _ Lanscape _ 2008

Ecosystems _ Lanscape _ 2011

Ecosystems _ Lanscape _ 2011

Ecosystems _ Lanscape _ 2008

Ecosystems _ Lanscape _ 2008

Carolina _ Portrait _ 2004

Carolina _ Portrait _ 2004

Carolina _ Portrait _ 2004

Nude _ 2014

True_Self _ Portraits _ 2017

True_Self _ Portraits _ 2017

True_Self _ Portraits _ 2017

True_Self _ Portraits _ 2017

Roque Palacio_Family Portrait _ 2012

Mother _ Family portrait _ 2015

Father _ Family portrait _ 2015

http://www.kingocreative.com/