Beauty has been subjected to norms, standards and categories, which are currently dissolving. In 2021, beauty is as wide as it is diverse, encompassing a multitude of voices, origins, opinions and stories. Beauty is sensual, directional, political and groundbreaking, obsession and reflection. Our desire to become aesthetes applies to all walks of life and all disciplines, from art, fashion and architecture to travel, music and food. The beauty we are experiencing cannot be restricted. It is the expression of a certain freedom, a willingness to transcend our own limits in order to reach an absolute. In this sense, gender may no longer be relevant and ambiguity might become the norm. Beauty raises more questions than it provides answers.
As a Behind the Blinds Arts project, SHADOWPLAY is a bi annual publication working as an open window on diversity of contemporary art. Curated by the same team of BTB, it investigates and explores aesthetics through the eyes of photographers, writers, artists, models and other industry insiders, creating new narratives around beauty and its pervasive influence.