Marloes Moraal

What is the essence of being pure en authentic? In my portraits I investigate this subject mostly by using a single portrait. Although a lot of my images display a certain loneliness, I am very interested in the complexity of social interactions. Who we are and how this relates to our relation to others. In my work I try to investigate themes such as self-awareness, self-acceptance and the ability to be a pure authentic self in or without relation to others. A lot of my images represent children of an age where self awareness is still developing. I often apply subtle changes to the body postures, which give them a certain strangeness. This helps the viewer to take a closer look and connect to the emotional depth of the work. My images consist of dozens of photos and layers that have been carefully digitally manipulated. In my digital manipulation I use soft colors and little contrast. This results in images with a painterly touch. I often search for a certain softness and tranquility in the images.