How did you form this group? What is the group really about?
As with all good things its started with sex. When I met g.na (Susan Willis) a while back I instantly developed a huge crush. We were both awkward and shy with one another and I found it easier to connect confidently through artistic means. We realized really quickly that we have very similar goals, artistically and professionally, but also that we create better imagery as a part of a team than we ever did as individuals. We’re both boundary pushers and have decided to work together in an effort to push each other as well as the people we are working with. I have been saying for a while that I was hunting for the Mert to my Marcus, and felt quite instantly that this is what I have found. We’re here to create an empire, one of imagery that circles around through fashion, fantasy and the obscene. Max&g.na is about witnessing an experience, about making visual an evolution that mobilizes us and the viewer out of our collective comfort zones.
How will this group be different than you as a solo photographer? Will your photography style change to let the viewers see the other photographer persona of you?
My photography style is always changing, and I think this is the next step. Moving beyond shooting for me and my purposes into actually creating a complete visual experience. I have already seen a huge difference in the last few months of working with g.na. The images we create (and the images I desire to create) have much more intention to them than what I had been shooting. I teased g.na the other day when she said we take pictures, because I see what we do as making pictures. I think you will be seeing a much more polished, professional and deeper side of me as a photographer. I’m a firm believer in the idea that there are parts of ourselves that can only be accessed through collaboration and connection, and although I’m not at all sure of where that will lead, so far, it’s been and intensely inspiring ride. One that I’m hoping shows through in what we create.
When I look at the photos, I find this very strange thing: I cannot really distinguish the gender of the model. Are you two trying to blur the gender line? If so, what's the reason behind it?
The thing we always shy away from owning societally is the understanding that gender is an erotic tool. It is not some innate force that we are born with, it is something to explore, something to play around with, something that exists only in motion, something very similar to our own sexualities. g.na and I, both personally and artistically, connect through this mutual understanding. It’s something that I think the mainstream fashion and art realms are starting to look at it in a really big way, and yet, something that still makes a lot of people uncomfortable. Just look at all the Andrej Pejic scandal, which, as a side note, i find pretty tame. Awesome, but just the tip of the iceberg of the intersections of gender and sex and art. I think this will always be a theme of our work, just as it will always be a theme of our lives.
It's my pleasure to feature Maxwell again and this time around her skill has really evolved (thanks for g.na for pushing her). I am so looking forward to see more amazing photos from this group in the future! Please continue to push the artistic envelope! All photos are courtesy of max and g.na (follow them on Twitter!).
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