SameSame.com.au ~ Inside Out Australia

Purgatory,the place where dead souls are trapped between heaven and hell, has always held a fascination for humans. Numerous paintings, stories and songs have been created throughout history, exploring the afterlife. We long to know what death holds for us, without actually having to experience it first-hand.

Russell Fleming’s new series of photos explores the ideas of beauty, life and death in a gothic envisioning, blurring the lines between the macabre and the sexual. Entitled ‘A Night In Purgatory’, each of the 20 portraits in the series has a unique story to go with it, describing a trapped soul’s previously life and untimely death.

Fleming’s used to taking photos of gorgeous muscle bound men in various poses for publications like Black+White, so this series of the dammed is a vast step away from his past body of work.

“This series came about purely by accident,” explains Russell. “I was test shooting a model for an exhibition idea, and after doing his pale makeup in Photoshop I realised there was potential in the image and it became part of this current series.

“I really wanted to combine my photography with my ability to make illustrations in Photoshop.”

So did this series stem from some strict Catholic upbringing?

“I’m not a religious person,” Fleming laughs, “but I do believe that there is a place between here and now and a place we go after we die. There are definitely people who are in purgatory, it’s just hard to prove they are there.”

Judging from Russell’s images, purgatory is a gorgeous and sexy place of torment! Filled with pale muscled brutes, immaculate dandies and ice eyed vamps, the images are nothing short of stunning.

“I think I got to make ‘dead look good’,” says Russell. “While the dead portrayed have pale skin and sometimes bruising, I still think I made them look hot! I got to explore ways of making the models look very different, but still keeping a stylish and beautiful look.

“I totally enjoyed creating this series, it was easy to photograph and it was interesting to have the models evolve into the ‘people’ you will see hanging on the walls.”

A Night In Purgatory exhibits from June 1 at Raw Space Galleries, and runs through the month. Opening night is Wednesday the 10th of June at 6:30pm.