Lovers of art are well aware that it often takes time for a picture to truly sink in — but in "Alone Time," a series of photographs by Montreal-based artist JJ Levine, you'll need more than just a double-take to truly appreciate their message.
The 30-year-old photographer, who identifies as queer, has created a unique glimpse at what life could be like without preconceptions and assumptions. His pictures showcase mundane household tasks starring what appears to be a man and a woman, but upon closer inspection, turns out to be a single model, styled in stereotypically male and female clothing.
"I really want people to rethink assumptions about gender and maybe about their own sexuality," Levine explained to the Huffington Post Canada. "I think by creating images that don't give you any clues about the anatomy or identity of the models, you're kind of left with just your own perception. I think that people really focus a lot on anatomy in a sexual partner and I'm interested in breaking away from that."
Describing his work as simultaneously visually confusing and amusing, Levine has been inspired by the topic for years, starting with his incredible "Switch" series. In this, photographs of couples at prom that feature side-by-side shots of a man and woman reveal themselves to be the same couple with genders changed from left to right.
"It's calling into question desirability in the way that we're so attached to the specific labels of gay and straight and cisgender or transgender," he says. "I'm interested in playing with that, but also interested in palying with the perceptions people have of each other going through the world."
Check out Levine's "Alone Time" series, and learn more about the artist here.
