GERMANY

Portraying Emotions - In 1994 Ulli started photographing fellow members of the international gay BDSM scene. Portraits of friends – and soon after also commissioned work – both showing men in leather, handling whips and crops with the look of confidence suggesting they recognize who they are. Intrigued by the passion behind these faces, Ulli gently but firmly guided his men to showing their true self in front of his camera. In the search for the portrayal of authentic human emotions, rather than just outfits or skin, he soon shifted his focus to documenting the private and confidential world of BDSM-play. Directing his photographs but without interfering in the intense relationships his camera was documenting, became one of his key qualities.

The world that BDSM creates is one where fantasies can be lived out in a controlled and consensual way. Ulli Richter plays an important role by showing how this – to many people forever inaccessible world – works and what powers it can unleash for the healing liberation of the mind. In an ever more superficial and fashion-oriented gay fetish community, his images remain the beacon to which people with a passion for BDSM can look.

Please note: Images are watermarked on the site by request of the artist. Artworks are shipped clean and clear!