Publication, New Dawn Paper, April 2014
Title: Rob Mellink – “May I…”
Text: Björn Veldhuisen (original text in Dutch)
When a male photographer invites a girl to photograph her naked in a random, dodgy hotel room, alarm bells quickly start ringing. Why does he want to photograph that girl naked? And why in an anonymous hotel room where they are alone? Most people will think he surely desires more than just taking pictures. Rob Mellink plays with this notion in his series ‘May I…?’.
The models’ expressions in the photos reveal that they are unsure why they are in the hotel room. Mellink tells them he wants to photograph them but provides no further guidance, leaving the models unable to step into a specific role. As a result, they ultimately expose themselves to the camera—both literally and figuratively—or, conversely, keep their emotional guard up out of suspicion.
Mellink does not photograph a specific moment. His work is a testament to the tension that arises between model and photographer. Both wonder what they can expect from each other and what the other’s intentions and thoughts are. As a viewer, these photos make you a witness to every encounter between the photographer and his models, offering a glimpse into the situation inside one of the hotel rooms.
By using an anonymous location like a hotel room, both the model and the photographer find themselves in an unfamiliar environment. This strips the situation down to nothing but the raw tension of an encounter between two strangers.
Because the model is naked and the photographer is not, a certain inequality inevitably arises. The models’ expressions show how some focus on the camera and try to pose. Ultimately, they apply their own meaning to what is expected of them. Other women can be seen waiting watchfully to see what will happen next, wondering why they are sitting in front of the camera at that exact moment while naked.
Mellink’s photos are not the product of an erotic photoshoot; they are captured at the moment when both parties are working hard to make sense of the situation and each other. ‘May I..?’ is therefore not about nudity itself, but about the way two strangers harbor desires and expectations of one another in an anonymous, private setting.
