Waiting room

Portraits of prepubescent models are carefully staged within the intimate spaces of their bedrooms, surrounded by the small details reflecting their teenage or even childish reality – teddy bears, dolls, fashion posters.

The subjects are purposefully styled in the latest collections of Poland’s best designers to resemble the models they themselves dream to become – in the limelight of fashion.

Within this project the visual commentary shows that the aesthetic created by fashion, where beauty is portrayed in the form of youthful, preadolescent models, is socially flawed. Then again, has art not since the beginning of time displayed youth as the definition of beauty?

As an outsider looking to critique this deliberate reality, the viewer finds themselves also seduced by the innocence, purity and youth seen in Promińska ‘s work. The question though is at what expense to these subjects? Most of the models photographed for Waiting Room are between 12-14 years old. They all have signed contracts with professional model agencies but are at present unable to legally work in the fashion capitals until they turn 16 or older.

The hope created from an early contract could drive expectations in this “waiting period” that might not materialize, given the age of emotional and physical change. Not all will develop into the standards of today‘s fashion world. What impact does this create to these individuals?

Zosia Promińska approaches the subject matter for very personal reasons. The artist herself was signed by a model agency at the age of 15. She worked as an international model for over a decade transforming from a child into an adult within the industry. In her own experiences of the pressures of fitting into specific criteria she understands how it could influence the life of a teenager.

Waiting Room is an ongoing project. The artist intends to meet with her subjects every few years to document their journey into adulthood capturing changes in dreams and reality.

Anna Mituś