The Garden

Published on 27 May 2016

Ben Alfonso’s photographic work explores the “male gaze” on femininity within the horror film genre. By capturing moments that appear to be from a different reality, Alfonso pulls the viewer into a beautiful realm of fear, despair, and humor. His photos primarily portray women in a surreal state of being, while his dramatic photographs of men tend to expose their inherently feared feminine characteristics by flipping the “male gaze” on it's head. Coined by Laura Mulvey, the concept of the “male gaze” is affixed to every horror film since the 1920’s. It is the idea that the camera is male-gendered and depicts the world we live in, women especially, in favor of men. Whether it is the camera, the character, or the spectator, Alfonso toys with the idea of the “male gaze”, impelling the viewer to consider his/her position within the subject or the object of the gaze.