Research has shown that elders in the LGBTQ+ community are often more likely to experience loneliness, exclusion, and fear of turning to health and welfare services.
The men pictured in this series, all over seventy, identify as gay and live in Israel.
A land of continuous religious and ideological struggles, where, despite progressive reforms in recent decades, LGBTQ+ members are still subjected to legal discrimination, stigmas, and exclusion fueled by influential and political groups.
They agreed to share their stories with me, and over many hours, we talked about aging and dreams, love, exclusion, and fears, and out of these conversations, this series was formed.
Created collaboratively in a makeshift studio I have built in the subjects’ home, with each portrait, we tried to visually represent a thought, a story, a piece of an inner world. A world often kept behind transparent curtains from the fear of being hurt.
We used photography to explore the gap between the constructed and the unexpected, what we think and what we feel, between what we hide and what is safe to reveal.
About the Artist:
Oded Wagenstein (born 1986) is a photographer and educator who collaborates with communities to explore themes of aging, loss, and belonging.
His work has been published by National Geographic, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, BBC, and VOGUE, among others. His photographs have been exhibited internationally, including at the National Portrait Gallery (London, UK) and the United Nations (New York, USA).
www.odedwagen.com
@oded_wagen
