Last year, photographer Rémi Lamandé and stylist Kyle Luu came together to capture Lovisa Lager in a series of intimate portraits inspired by Japanese artist Namio Harukawa. The images the team turned out saw the rising curve model dominating a number of naked men far smaller than her, as she turned them into her willing submissives. In one, a man’s face is buried between Lager’s buttocks as he kneels on the floor, hands held behind his back. In another, she looms large over a blindfolded sub as she holds him in a headlock.
In a world that continues to uphold the stereotype that Asian women are meek and submissive, the editorial takes an archaic idea and reframes it in arresting fashion. Standing tall and proud, Lager is all-powerful as she asserts her dominance over the men, her hands on hips stance demonstrating a lack of hesitation when it comes to taking up space. Similarly, it’s rare to see fat women depicted as desirable with men fawning for their attention, meaning Lamandé, Luu, and Lager’s series is refreshing in more ways than one.
Having had so much fun during the shoot, which took place early last year, the creative team have come together once more to capture part two of what will now be an ongoing series. This time, the images feel even more intimate, as Lager softens in the presence of her subs. In one photograph, she reclines on a bed with a man held tenderly to her chest, while in another, she gazes into the camera as her robe opens to reveal her breasts and stomach. A particularly NSFW photograph depicts a submissive submerged in a bath, wrists shackled, as Lager perches on the side of the tub, the man’s face fully wedged between her bum cheeks.
“The bathtub picture wasn’t supposed to be like that, but we felt it would be better if Seth’s face was inside Lovisa’s butt and he happily jumped in,” explains Lamandé. “What I love about this project is that it’s friends making images together and trust is so important in this environment.” While the photographer describes chapter two of the series as “darker, more grown up and sophisticated”, and cites Nobuyoshi Araki and Shomei Tomatsu as influences alongside Harukawa this time around, the photos are also shot through with flashes of humour.
In one, Lager laughs directly into the camera in the foreground, as a blindfolded man entangled in Shibari ropes dangles from the ceiling behind her. “It wasn’t meant to be more humorous,” says Lamandé. “It happened naturally as a compensation since the overall aesthetic of this chapter was gloomier, dirtier, and rawer. These were happy days on set, and we all felt super excited to create these images. I think it’s that contrast and balance that makes things interesting.”
Click through the gallery above, and stay tuned for part two and three, as well as a book a little further down the line. Revisit part one of the project below.
CREDITS: Photographer Remi Lamande, Stylist Kyle Luu, Hair Evanie Frausto, Make-up Francelle, Set design Griffin Stoddard, Production Chelsea Behrens and Nick Blumenthal for CBA, Casting Nicola Kast, Models Lovisa Lager, Justin Ten, Seth Kenji, Jimmy Jimeno, Ry Ly, Photo assistants Amelia Hammond, Taylor Schantz, Patrick Rice, Styling assistants Sashon Burton and Tiffany Luu
