During that moment of orgasm the bodies blur and blend like unrealized figures in sculptor’s clay. Rik Garrett’s series of photographs Symbiosis captures the bodies surrender to that shared physical bliss.

Garret created these works between 2010 and 2011, and was inspired by falling in love. He compares his work to “alchemy” where he transforms his photographs with thick brushstrokes of flesh-colored paint, as he explains in his book Symbiosis:

An integral concept of Alchemy is “Solve et Coagula” – dissolve and combine.  This is the secret key to manifesting the Philosopher’s Stone, Elixir of Life and immortality.  This ideal is represented with the image of the Rebis – a two-headed hermaphrodite that holds the assets of both genders.

I have worked with this as my goal, erasing the boundaries of the human body. By applying paint directly to the surface of photographs, I have actualized an impossible dream – a physical union made tangible through desire.  Through this process I have been able to visually and symbolically merge male and female into one body – the perfect being.

Once printed these pictures are small enough to fit in a wallet, measuring a mere 3.25 x 4.25 inches. The size induces the viewer to lean closer to examine the photos creating another intimate union between spectator and spectacle. See more of Rik Garret’s work here.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Via Features Shoot, thanks to Kat McDonald