In Between: The Warmth
Laura Cemin
(Italy/Finland)
2017-2020 – Inkjet print on Fine Art paper – various materials
What do you feel when you hug? The photographic series In Between: The Warmth shows two bodies embracing, close enough to sense each other’s movements, sounds, reactions. Cemin made the work through a performative act: she asked family members, friends and acquaintances to hug her for ten seconds, the default duration of her camera’s self-timer. The results are not just images, but something sculptural: they are the attempt to capture the bodily sensation of a moment of intimate exchange. The artist describes the series as ‘An exchange of flow that, as happens to every material as it reaches its melting point, slowly softens the solidity of the structure. It is a tangible sensation, different at every touch, material by material, body by body.’ In times of Covid-19, social distancing and fear of physical intimacy, this act becomes an even more valuable and precious possibility