PROFILE Images - Courtesy of the artist. Writer - Chama Tahiri, art director and journalist.
Deborah Benzaquen: Sweet Surrender A coming of age visual story from Casablanca When Casablanca born and raised photographer
clean and minimalistic. Except for a few yellow
Deborah Benzaquen was commissioned in 2017 for
flowers, the artist surrendered her usual favorite
an exhibition on Eternal Youth, she chose to focus
props, gathered over the years when she was a
on adolescence as a timeless research subject.
movie set decorator, and only played with the natural
She had known Mia, one of her models, since she
highlights and shadows of a charming old-fashioned
was a little kid. At only 17, the pixie haircut girl
Casablanca apartment.
had always been a brilliant and creative child but also very bold and opinionated, maybe a bit of
The result is equally raw as it is soft, and conveys a
a rebel in her own way. She introduced the artist
feeling of blissful nostalgia. The unedited pictures
to her high school friends with whom she formed
reveal the marks of adolescence, but the teenagers
a very tight and free-spirited group. They talked
gracefully turned their vulnerability into a statement
about identity, gender, and sexuality, and what all
of power. Their striking confidence and carefree
that could mean in a such a transitional phase of
spirit clashes with their young age, and this constant
a young adult’s life. The chemistry was so obvious
duality resonates with the underlying question of
that they quickly moved from a Whatsapp group
gender, as well as the tension between the threat
chat to a shooting set.
of the outside world, and the safety of the room in which these teenagers can be whoever they want,
In her creative process, Benzaquen never plans
sheltered from peer pressure and social expectations.
too far ahead—she goes with her guts and heart,
The unedited pictures reveal the marks of adolescence, but the teenagers gracefully turned their vulnerability into a statement of power
and follows her intuition, thus creating the most
The intimacy of the photos is enhanced by the
candid and authentic collaborations. The artist
subtle suggestion of modesty, and the context of
indeed refers to her work as “theirs” since all of
the images given the controversy around sexual
But the true strength of the series might be its
her shoots are a form of dialogue with her (mostly)
orientation in Morocco. Benzaquen is very aware
universality. Stripped down from any context those
real-life, non-professional models. They usually
of this, and is careful to never put her models in
are just regular teenagers, with their dreams, flaws,
take the time to get to know each other, and their
compromising situations. Speaking of her models
secrets and dyed hair. Teenagers who refuse to be
aesthetic universes eventually blend to perfection.
for Sweet Surrender, the artist says ‘They were such
labeled. Masculine and feminine, young and mature,
But it is most likely Benzaquen’s way of creating a
quiet forces, which was really reassuring since I’m
assertive and fragile: they are all of that and more.
form of intimacy even before setting her frame,
the opposite.’ Being very shy and self-conscious
They are works in progress, shaping their identity
doubled with her great listening skills, that create
herself—a form of humbleness in disguise—
as they grow–free and fabulous. For Benzaquen, a
that unique bond of trust, and allow her to tell the
Benzaquen never forces a pose and hardly ever
picture is worth a thousand words, and this series
most sensitive visual stories.
directs her subjects. On the contrary, she thrives
tells one of the oldest coming of age stories ever
on challenges and limitations, which in this series
told—a story of letting go and choosing love,
Here, the more Benzaquen got to know Mia’s group,
has resulted in something pure and more subtly
beyond prejudices. A ‘sweet surrender’ to beauty
the more she knew she wanted her pictures to be
suggestive.
and sensuality, in all of their raw forms.
114 tribe
