Let me see you
2023-2025
I used to look at portraits
and it always felt trist.
Too perfect.
Too controlled.
Too far away from real or honesty.
This project started with a simple question:
what happens when people stop performing?
Eva © Christoph Rutenkolk
Eva © Christoph Rutenkolk
Eva © Christoph Rutenkolk
Most portraits are performances.
People adjusting.
Controlling.
Holding something back.
I’m not interested in that.
Eva © Christoph Rutenkolk
Eva © Christoph Rutenkolk
Not in perfect light.
Not in angles that flatter you.
Not in a version of yourself you learned to present.
Carolin © Christoph Rutenkolk
Carolin © Christoph Rutenkolk
Show me who you are
when you stop performing.
Carolin © Christoph Rutenkolk
Carolin © Christoph Rutenkolk
The moment in between.
When you forget the camera.
When something slips through.
Loic © Christoph Rutenkolk
RADU © Christoph Rutenkolk
That’s where it gets real.
Not polished.
Not clean.
Just human.
Alina Mustafina © Christoph Rutenkolk
Alina Mustafina © Christoph Rutenkolk
There is always a second
right after the mask drops
and before it comes back.
That’s the only moment I care about.
Alina Mustafina © Christoph Rutenkolk
Alina Mustafina © Christoph Rutenkolk
Most of the people in this series
are not models.
No styling.
No roles.
No clear instructions.
Just a camera
and time.
What you see
is what they allowed to surface, for a brief moment.
Jogilė Ramoškaitė © Christoph Rutenkolk
Jogilė Ramoškaitė © Christoph Rutenkolk
Jogilė Ramoškaitė © Christoph Rutenkolk
Maria © Christoph Rutenkolk
Luci © Christoph Rutenkolk
Eglantina © Christoph Rutenkolk
It’s not about beauty.
It’s about truth.
And truth is rarely comfortable.
Bete © Christoph Rutenkolk
Morgane © Christoph Rutenkolk
Morgane © Christoph Rutenkolk