Tanyth Berkeley

Tanyth Berkeley’s portraits of women redefine traditional perception of beauty, capturing the essence of femininity with unabashed glamour, sensuality, and celebration. Berkeley finds her extraordinary subjects, which range from transgender she-males to frumpy housewives and wallflower adolescents, in the most ordinary of places: in the subway, on the street, walking through the park. And it’s exactly this ‘normalcy’ that makes them so special.

Inspired by painters as diverse as the Pre-Raphaelites, Renoir, and Hieronymus Bosch, Berkeley prefers the veritas of photography to immortalise her muses. Shooting her models with a rare intimacy and candour, Berkeley strives to encapsulate the suspended moment of initial attraction, where the spark of originality distinguishes the individual from the crowd. The ‘je ne sais quoi’ of sex appeal, the subtle sophistication of poise, and enticing nuances of expression all combine in the expert identification of ‘star quality’. From Coney Island’s earthy diva, to the not-quite virgin co-ed that is Sweetie, and the irresistible gaze of the Muslim girl-next-door in Veiled, Berkeley’s women each tell their individual stories and bear their spectacular-ness for the world.

Collectively Berkeley’s photographs map out a refreshingly honest representation of contemporary women. Each one an authentic ‘super-model’ posed in protest against mainstream female templates, empowered by self-confidence and their own ideal self-image. Alluring with a raw and unapologetic realness -- of desires, triumphs, ambitions, and physical appearance - Berkeley’s pin-up girls render difference and acceptance as the sexiest things of all.