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Photo Students Capture Their Most Embarrassing Moments

What would you offer up to the world?
All images courtesy of Unseen. 

Dutch art director and curator Erik Kessels told a classroom of second-year photography students from Écal to embarrass themselves as creative practice. The workshop then exhibited these projects as a group show titled The Embarrassment as part of the Unseen Photo Fair in Amsterdam.

"Embarrassment is important. If you're not willing to humiliate yourself, make mistakes and downright fuck-up, you should consider working in a cubicle farm. It's safer there," writes Kessels in an embarrassment manifesto for the show.

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The photo show is an open space with photographs tacked on to pallets located in Westerpark. The Embarrassment is strong collection of photo experiments in vulnerability, frailness, and courage, furthering the notion that the personal is political. We learn up close—almost too closely—about taboo subjects such as eating disorders, pedophilia, body dysmorphia, family upheavals, and sexuality. The images range from digital, archival, and found photos. The students also printed a corresponding newspaper for the exhibit.

Kessels says that "By embarrassing themselves they are able to tell a personal, often embarrassing and risky story." The photos you are about to see capture moments on the precipice. Is it more invigorating for the viewer or the photographer? Let us know what you think:

"Daily Life,"Photo by Arunà Canevascini: Life isn't always pretty, sometimes it's disturbing, strange or even grotesque. These images are my antidote to the always perfect, selfie obsessed lives that people portray in social media. A more honest depiction of an ordinary, not always extraordinary life.

"Ladyboy," Photo by Purithat Thongphubal: I was born and grew up in the south of Thailand until I was 10 years old. There were many hooker and lady-boy bars near my house. When I was a child I was afraid of these people for no real reason. Maybe as a child I couldn't reconcile or understand the how such an obviously female body could have such a obviously male voice.

"SAY GOODBYE TO SADNESS," Photo by Elsa Guillet: This photographic diary depicts my everyday life with bulimia; the disease that is both my solace and the source of my suffering. The chaos of my apartment, the utensils I use to make myself vomit, the changes in my body, the empty food packets and the empty moments. This is how it shapes my life.

"They see me like that," Photo by Clemént Lambelet: She told me my eyelashes would be even more beautiful if I wore mascara. She was the fourth woman in the last few years that asked if she could put makeup on me. I finally gave in. How do I look?

"NOSE," Photo by Imara Patern o' Castello: I don't like my nose. It's the only thing I see when I look at pictures of myself. Now it's the only thing you see too. This way other people can see my through my eyes.

"In the Process of Separation," Photo by Tanya Kottler: My father passed away when his house caught on fire. While sifting through the ashes of what was left of his life we found images that he had taken at my parents wedding. These happy cliché images, hid the sad reality of this relationship that was ill-fated from the outset.

"Gilles," Photo by Stéphane Mocan: When I was five years old we had a male au-pair called Gilles. He was an integral member of our family for a year. One day we heard about a young man arrested for pedophilia, it turned out to be Gilles. My memories of him are vague and until this day, I still wonder about our time together

For more information about
The Embarrassment at the Unseen Photo Fair, click here.

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