Nicoló Lanfranchi – Hidden Problems

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ONE PHOTO – ONE STORY

31.03.2015

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“I shot this picture on a beach in Tel Aviv, in December 2012. I was at the end of an assignment for Vanity Fair – a story about the rehabilitation of people with sexual disorders with the aid of therapists and surrogate partners in the clinic of Dr. Ronit Aloni. It is the only private sex therapy clinic that has been recognised by the Israeli Ministry of Defense as a rehabilitation facility for war veterans.

I spent five days inside the clinic, which occupies a small apartment on the ground floor of a residential building. During this time, I was in close contact with sex therapists, surrogate partners, doctors and patients. It was a sensitive and challenging topic to photograph, as it was imperative to respect the privacy of both patients and surrogates. After all, once they leave the clinic, they must return to normal life in a society that still does not talk openly about sex, much less about those experiencing sex-related problems, or those who use sexuality as a way to help people.

Having spent all this time inside the small apartment, engaging closely with its residents and their stories, I felt the need for open space, so I went out for a walk. When I came across this sculpture on the deserted beach, it somehow seemed like a metaphor – like the final chapter of the story. The image has a strange, almost metaphysical atmosphere, and like many of the other pictures in this project, the only person you see in the scene is hidden, not recognisable, almost absent.”