Tom Watson + Lynn Theisen + Tetiana Popyk
IDENTITIES: When fashion meets photography l Château de Bourglinster l LUXEMBOURG l May 9 - 31, 2026
curated by Emanuela Mazzonis
The individual is, by nature, a being in constant transformation. This ongoing metamorphosis of identity becomes visible through photography and its ability to reshape both the external and internal characteristics of each person. Photographs, by their intrinsic nature, tell stories of bodies in motion, of spaces, of connections, of narratives that emerge and of new ones being written. Photography does not merely reproduce the image of a subject; it creates new visual pathways, suspended between perception and the desire to see, feel, remember, and empathize. The act of photographing becomes a gesture charged with both power and vulnerability: it highlights the shifting nature of identity and challenges the visual parameters we are accustomed to. This rethinking of the meaning of images and identity transformation is particularly evident in the interplay between fashion and photography, as seen in the works of Tom Watson (1950, US), Tetiana Popyk (1988, Ukraine), and Lynn Theisen (1993, Luxembourg), who portray the evolution of human identity. Everything changes, even what seemingly remains the same. “The purpose of photography,” said Elliott Erwitt, “is that I don’t have to explain things in words.” The exhibition brings into dialogue three artists from different generations and backgrounds who, through their stories, reveal how powerful photography is as a medium for connecting identities.
Tom Watson, with his extensive and influential experience in the world of fashion, in his “polished, sophisticated yet spontaneous photographs,” as he himself describes them, retains a touch of unpredictability. Not everything must be planned in advance: like a poet composing verses guided by imagination, Watson constructs his images. The locations he chooses are never dictated by a predefined scheme; when a place attracts him, he decides to stop and proceed with his shoot. The models are free to move and adapt within that space, which—even if only briefly—becomes their place of expression. In the series “Roadside Attraction” 2001, shot in Almeria, Spain, the artist, the model and their small team suddenly came upon a fenced-in storage area filled with broken sets for an amusement park. They climbed over the fence and Watson start shooting. They remained immersed in this surreal atmosphere for the entire day without encountering a single soul.
In her black-and-white images, Tetiana Popyk invites our perception to move beyond the surface of the image, searching for a deeper meaning often hidden at first glance. What we see is constantly evolving; nothing is fixed. Reality is in motion, just like the meaning of these images. These are photographs that do not declare, but quietly whisper a new visual and sensory universe. Identity, memory, and cultural heritage are evoked through bodies that take on new meanings, beyond any stereotype. The series “Grammar of Gesture”, 2021, explores the image as a field of signs. What we see is not stable — it is interrupted, repeated, or partially concealed. Gesture acts as a language that marks, disturbs, and reshapes the image.
The vibrant, colorful photographs of Lynn Theisen also evoke a sense of collective memory, where the models embody a fusion of historical cultures and costume traditions, giving rise to new aesthetic and epistemological identities. Photography does not merely reproduce the subject’s image; it opens up new visual pathways that unfold between perception and the desire to see, feel, and remember. The “Cultural Fusion” series combines elements from different cultures, unifying in one single image the diversity of traditions, costumes, social backgrounds and identities. Fashion and photography are once again brought together in a unique frame, where we are invited to listen within the image to what cannot be seen, but can be felt.
