May—June 2023
Paris
Berlin
Hamburg
Cologne
Paris
Berlin
Hamburg
Cologne
Aline Pape & GRAVUR
In her work, the designer, photographer, and activist Aline Pape (born in 1997, near Arnsberg) has been questioning the effects of binary gender concepts on society for several years. In the exhibited project "Modern Gender," Pape challenges traditional depictions of "masculinity" by offering an alternative perspective that goes beyond the binary gender order. The project involves collaboration with various male-identified individuals who have been given traditionally "feminine" attributes to experiment with their gender identity. Through this, Pape aims to explore how gender roles and habits can be transformed. By questioning the normalized representations of "masculinity," Pape's project becomes a social experiment that attempts to find out how far photography can influence social processes.
The work will be showcased in a solo exhibition in Paris in May and will then tour with selected works and the book throughout Germany.
10—26/5/23
Galerie M
Galerie M
Vernissage
Thur 11/5 17—21 H
Thur 11/5 17—21 H
Opening Time
Wed—Sat 14—19 H
Wed—Sat 14—19 H
18 rue Lally Tollendal
75019 Paris
75019 Paris
9—11/6/23
GE59
Fri 9/6 17—22 H
Sat 10/6 12—18 H
Sun 11/6 12—18 H
Urbanstraße 116
2. backyard
10967 Berlin
GE59
Fri 9/6 17—22 H
Sat 10/6 12—18 H
Sun 11/6 12—18 H
Urbanstraße 116
2. backyard
10967 Berlin
16—18/6/23
Studio Hausen
Fri 16/6 17—22 H
Sat 17/6 12—18 H
Sun 18/06 12—18 H
Eimsbütteler Straße 92
22769 Hamburg
Studio Hausen
Fri 16/6 17—22 H
Sat 17/6 12—18 H
Sun 18/06 12—18 H
Eimsbütteler Straße 92
22769 Hamburg
23—25/6/23
&wieder
Fri 23/6 17—22 H
Sat 24/6 12—18 H
Sun 25/6 12—18 H
Eichstraße 6
50733 Köln
&wieder
Fri 23/6 17—22 H
Sat 24/6 12—18 H
Sun 25/6 12—18 H
Eichstraße 6
50733 Köln
What does ’masculinity‘ look like?
Since gender is often still wrongly linked to sex, the assumption is that men need to be ‘masculine’ and women need to be ‘feminine’. Does this mean that men must only be ‘masculine’ and women always ‘feminine’? And what about people who do not conform to these concepts all together? Is it possible that our binary idea of gender is limiting not only to the minority but to most people in our society?
Since gender is often still wrongly linked to sex, the assumption is that men need to be ‘masculine’ and women need to be ‘feminine’. Does this mean that men must only be ‘masculine’ and women always ‘feminine’? And what about people who do not conform to these concepts all together? Is it possible that our binary idea of gender is limiting not only to the minority but to most people in our society?
To find answers to these questions, photographer and artist Aline Pape started her project Modern Gender, Masculinities in 2020. She searches for men and people assigned masculine at birth (amab) in different cities around Germany via online platforms to work with them. She offers participants traditionally ‘feminine’ attributes such as clothes, jewelry, and nail polish, thereby opening up a free space in which people are allowed to experiment with their ‘feminine’ side in terms of their appearance. With this process she attempts to change the ‘gender expression’ of men to see how their ‘gender performance’ and therefore their ‘habitus’ transformed. Some wear such clothing for the first time.
It became an experiment to see how far photography can influence social processes by questioning the problematic and normalised representations of ‘masculinity’ while highlighting alternatives outside of the binary.
It became an experiment to see how far photography can influence social processes by questioning the problematic and normalised representations of ‘masculinity’ while highlighting alternatives outside of the binary.
The project was released in 2022 as a photo book box in collaboration with GRAVUR Verlag, in a limited edition of 100 handmade books.
What is "masculinity" and what is "femininity" for you?
E “Both masculinity and femininity are just guided roles by the society, to create some differences that are not that real. Nowadays it doesn’t make too much sense, when we speak about gender. The spectre has to be a way more open. To be forced to follow the classical path can create those social differences and problems that
we try to avoid.”
S “For me, masculinity is not so easy to grasp. They are imagined requirements and structures imposed by society. But they are real because we live them. For me, masculinity is a category based on hierarchy. It demands many contextual behaviors. It is based on the devaluation of everything ‘unmanly’ and ‘other.’ If I conform to the requirements and structures, it implies my own upgrading. A normative behavior promises me a certain position in the world and at the same time shapes my view of things. But this rigid positioning denies me an opening for things that do not correspond to the socionormative behavior patterns. It can deny me a view of part of my ‘feminine’ being. The male gaze is often a judgmental and an egocentered gaze.”
"The subtle structure of a misogynist society becomes noticeable once normativity is challenged. Aline Pape did this by giving people who identify as men a safe space to experiment with their ‘feminine’ side."
— Janina Papenheim, Co-developer of the content concept and Gender & Diversity Student at Rhein-Waal University, Kleve
“I am convinced that photography can be an important part of the new feminist movements. It creates the opportunity to convey an idea where words are not necessary. Since its conception, photography has had a great influence on our collective acceptance of hetteronormativity. Photography, then, can be a powerful tool in the pursuit of an equal society that does not reduce people to their bodies and appearances. I believe that by challenging dominant masculinity, issues become visible that have disappeared into invisible norms. The current feminism movements deal with issues regarding equality which do not only concern women but everyone in society. My work is my personal contribution to these movements.”
— Aline Pape
Aline was born in 1997 in NRW, Germany. Her work focuses on photography and design concepts. As a queer communicationdesigner, she has been exploring how photography can contribute to creating space for self-determination and redefinition of gender for several years. Her passion lies in political and sociological discourses and their reflection in her artistic work. She aims to challenge, expand, and diversify our collective understanding of gender roles through her art.
In our concept publishing house, we create book projects that stand out. For this, we consider the entire process - layout, design, binding - and find creative solutions to produce books in small editions with a high artistic standard. We always work on an equal footing with the authors and artists. Our books reflect our passion for the medium of books and print. In our complementary GRAVUR Store, we offer carefully selected items from design to print.
At the beginning of 2021, Aline came to our studio with the dummy of her work Modern Gender and asked if we would like to publish it together. We were thrilled by the idea and got straight to work making 100 copies by hand with great attention to detail. Creating this publication brought us a lot of joy, we are very excited to bring this arts and crafts work to the people now and look forward to our tour with Aline and Modern Gender.
