Meet Rafael Dardes, an artist whose work in fashion and artistic photography delves deeply into the complex landscapes of human identity, constructing visual narratives that challenge conventional perceptions with fashion as an expressive stage, initiating a dialogue that blends cultural and personal symbols to encourage deeper reflection on the self.

Rooted in the energetic atmosphere of São Paulo and driven by a deep curiosity about human nature, Dardes’s approach blends academic insight with raw artistic instinct, creating meticulously constructed scenarios that prompt audiences to reconsider their own views on identity through his provocative compositions.

How do you translate your anthropological insights into visual narratives that challenge traditional perceptions of identity?

I believe that my academic and personal research on Human Identity has gently tossed me to the Anthropology pit. I have spent the last nine years studying a number of areas of Human knowledge - Biology, History, Sociology, Anthropology, Anatomy and even Math Philosophy (thanks to the academic research of my lovely husband, who happens to be a mathematician). Although I digged important information from all these areas, I found myself most guided and inspired by Anthropology because it is more holistically outlined when it comes to understanding and unraveling Human Identity.
I work in Fashion. I am a Fashion image maker. Fashion is all about identity, so these two universes converge beautifully inside me. They feed from one another and become one in my creative processes. It’s quite fun, actually, to have these two universes coexisting inside my mind and to feel them battling each other to see which one comes on top. The most interesting part of that, though, is that they know how much they care for one another and how much they are intertwined and sometimes they stop battling and become huge friends.
I use my anthropological knowledge to incite and enrich my Fashion narratives. I use my research on Human Identity to evoke self-questioning on the viewer. What I enjoy most in my work is the creative process to conceive and materialize personas that aren’t humanly common. I like to make the viewer take a second look at an image and wonder “huh… that is human, but… something feels off”.
The truth is there are infinitely different ways of being human, but we are often blinded by our shared cultural perceptions and we end up being prejudicial to the idea of “the other”. My mission, then, isn’t about making a certain statement, but rather to make the viewer question the outlines of what being human is.

Can you describe the conceptual genesis behind one of your most provocative images and the reaction it provoked from viewers?

I have a series entitled “Identitatem”, shot in 2018. These images are still incredibly fresh and current - I have just been nominated one of the three winners of a photography contest held by Numéro Switzerland with this series. It has been published in other magazines as well, both in Brazil and worldwide. The series showcases a set of twin sisters interacting intricately with each other while wearing various masks and headpieces. While visually simple, yet striking, this series talks about a much more profound notion - “Identitatem” is about the conceptual duality on Human Identity between two different statements regarding this matter. One, from Italian-Brazilian artist Roberto Campadello and the other from North-American sociologist Robert Park. The statements are the following:
“The basic condition for self-knowledge is the acknowledgement and overcoming process of the Persona; the mask between Ego and the objective universe and the Ego and the subjective universe. It is about placing ourselves against a mirror that accurately displays our form. That makes us perceive the face we never, ever showcase outwards, precisely because we cover it with the Persona; the actor’s mask. However, the mirror is behind the mask and displays our true face”. -Roberto Campadello, PERSONA (speech from music album, track 01, 1974, spoken in Portuguese and translated freely by me)
“Everyone is always and everywhere, more or less consciously, playing a role... It is in these roles that we know each other; it is in these roles that we know ourselves. In a sense, and in so far as this mask represents the conception we have formed of ourselves — the role we are striving to live up to - this mask is our truer self, the self we would like to be. In the end, our conception of our role becomes second nature and an integral part of our personality. We come into the world as individuals, achieve character, and become persons.” -Robert Ezra Park, Race and Culture (Glencoe. |.: The Free Press, 1950), p. 249.
The dueling duality between two well-conceived concepts of Human Identity is aesthetically explored in this series by various complementary elements in Make-up, Styling, directing and props. The twin sisters represent the elementary unity between both statements: the concept of where Human Identity truly lies. They are intricately intertwined and often become one, as showcased. The thorough attention to connect elements between the twins is present in every image, aiming to bring visual and conceptual depth to the work. “Identitatem” will probably remain as one of my all-time favorite works forever.

Reflecting on your rich cultural upbringing and personal challenges, how have these influenced the visual language of your photography?

I believe the biggest impact lies on the fact that I’m comfortable with expressing myself. I was raised in a traditional Italian neighborhood in São Paulo, but my father is a musician and my mother is a multi-visual artist - this upbringing allowed me to be in touch with various forms of expression, artistic or not. As a child, I used to love being around my parents' friends, hearing them talk to each other, absorbing all I could from their encounters. These encounters also made me have a festive and bohemian persona, due to the outstanding parties they used to throw. I was raised in a lively and dynamic environment. That enabled me to connect to others and to myself quite soon, which, then, allowed me to find my voice, tune it, and express it.
I started studying Photography when I was still 14 years old, a really young age. But I knew back then I was definitely within the right path. I was right. My teen years, however, were marked by some challenging experiences - When I was 15, I had meningitis and dengue-fever at the same time. It was rough. The next year, I had pancreatitis and cancer at the same time. No need to say it was also rough. So then, while I had a whole plan for my upcoming years, when it comes to becoming the photographer I wanted, studying, finishing High School, etc, I was spending a lot of time in the hospital, undergoing chemotherapy and many, many, many other treatments, fighting for my survival. I now understand that my teen years were stripped from me. Extracted from my experience. My friends and school colleagues, and pretty much everyone my age, were going through a completely different experience and a completely different process. However, I never saw any of it as a death threat. I was very centered and I faced the whole thing with immense strength - I wanted to be bigger than that and I knew I could be bigger than that - so I was.
These elements, combined, I believe bring a subtle and gentle strength to my visual work. It has to be strong, because I have to state: “I am alive”. But at the same time, expressing myself has been very natural for me from a really early age, so I don’t feel the need to yell. I can spend time reflecting, thinking, and when I’m done, I deliver something that I find striking with an elegant twist.

In the intersection of art and commerce within your work, how do you navigate the tensions between creative authenticity and market demands?

We all, at some level, need to adapt in order to make a living. Some need to do that a lot more than others. Some can find a way to survive while being almost entirely truesome to themselves. I believe I fit in the latter - which comes with a huge price.
I believe commercial imagery, especially in Fashion, does not have to be boring. It doesn’t have to be meaningless. It doesn’t have to be that easy. I have always seen it that way. So I have always tried to make my own path while being authentic, and, along the way, I found myself having clients that shared these thoughts. I believe I am hired because the client wants my vision. The client wants my take on their piece of clothing or jewellery - not to simply operate a camera and register an object.
To have a vision and to be faithful to it, though, is to be ready to pay a price. I have a much narrower and specific set of possibilities presented to myself. Do I feel like I am many times underrated or under-appreciated because of it? Yes. Do I feel like the best way to overcome that is to change my vision and try to fit in more? Absolutely not.

Could you share the backstory of a project that was a turning point in your photographic career?

Honestly, I feel like I am still waiting for the turning point in my career. I have calculated every step ever since I was 13 years old, and my stride has been organically slow. I don’t feel like I have experienced a turning point. I definitely look forward to that, though, to shake things up a little.

What new themes or techniques are you eager to explore, especially those that delve deeper into the themes of identity and human essence?

I don’t want to share too much at this point, but I do have an ongoing series of self-portraits, which is something I have always loved to make, about my complicated relationship to my own body and how I perceive and express my bodily existence. I am doing that with a highly sexual and kinky vibe, which is also a way to pay tribute to my sexuality, one of the most important parts of my life. Technically, it is highly experimental and it has all sorts of interventions, so it can showcase the struggles of dealing with body image, body dysmorphia, self esteem and so on.

How do you keep your work fresh while adapting to the rapidly evolving fashion industry?

I don’t care all that much about being fresh. I actually like a little dust. I am touched by historical facts, I am deeply moved by the idea of how things came to be. Most of the people I admire the most are dead. What I actually care about more is to be insightful. To create meaningful images. To have a conscience. To understand what it is that I’m doing and why. I enjoy playing in my mind the idea of being timeless. I believe that by being authentic and when you keep things real, you have a bigger chance of becoming timeless, and that is a beautiful thing.
We are all a present part of our time, and we must keep ourselves present in it and current to the ongoing discussions so we can make the right statements and we can be on the right side of History, but I believe that when it comes to the production of my work, I am not concerned about being seen as fresh. I want to be seen as deep.

As technology reshapes the artistic and practical aspects of photography, how do you envision adapting your methods and aesthetics?

I’m not entirely sure if this is a way to ask me about my take on A.I., but if it is, I can tell you I am absolutely terrified by it and I think it’s a problem. I feel like I still need a whole lot more thinking on this subject in order to become sufficiently able to talk about it publicly, and quite frankly I believe WE ALL DO, because no one truly knows what the hell is actually going on, but what I do know right now is that I find it very scary. I do not use it. I don’t feel comfortable with it. I somehow feel like that would be cheating. It can be an old-fashioned view, but it is how I feel as of this moment.
When it comes to photographic equipment, I try to explore what I have in hand the most, and then, when I feel like I really need to take a different step, I go out and find something different to work with. I like to keep myself tuned to what’s new, but I am definitely not a geek about photographic equipment. I do not feel the need to always have the latest thing at hand. How can I possibly feel like I need the next thing around if I haven’t played enough with what I have? I sometimes think that this kind of behaviour showcases a form of insecurity from the photographer, who believes that what needs to be improved about their work is their equipment - not their technique nor their references nor even overall life experiences.
Don’t take me wrong - I am not one of those photographers who only shoots in 120mm film or anything. In fact, I have played very little with 120mm film. I have a very modern set of equipment at hand, but I am not eager for the next thing. I want to let this take me where it can. I want to explore myself through it the most I possibly can.

In your view, how does contemporary photography influence societal views on identity and culture?

Imagery has reshaped the whole Human game. From early 19th Century on, especially within western cultures, we became much more attached to our sight, rather than other senses that were previously more important - we used to pay closer attention to the importance of our hearing before that. For instance, “hearing” the voice of God through the reading of the Bible was much more important than having a “point of view” (please do not get me wrong, I am not a religious person. I am actually 100% atheist and this is only a simple example). Although imagery has been present within Human life ever since before the first great revolution (The Cognitive Revolution), with the famous “cave paintings” being one of the most widely known forms of this early imagery, it played a completely different role. Imagery had no intention to be perceived as real. It was a thing for itself.
From the invention of Photography on, the understanding of imagery being a simulacrum of reality became the current take on things. We started to not only produce and shape imagery, but to become shaped by imagery, especially by Photography.
When a largely shared sense of things is current, in an intersubjective manner, it becomes very hard to understand it as odd, or even a thing at all. We implant it within ourselves as something natural, but let’s face it: there’s absolutely nothing natural about comparing ourselves to a Kylie Jenner’s Instagram post. Nothing about that is real. However, the production and shaping of that image is such that when it reaches an audience, it is implanted, by ourselves, as the actual reality, and therefore, something to aspire.
We are constantly surrounded by images. All kinds of images. So many images that we can’t process them all. Photography plays a major role in this imagetic outburst that made us so shaped by it. This current steemed sense of sight is rather new and absolutely shapes our lives in both subjective and intersubjective, therefore societal, levels.

Meet Rafael Dardes

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