A series exploring themes of platonic intimacy and the power of touch by New England-based photographer Jillian Freyer (previously featured here). Freyer holds an MFA from Yale and a BFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Her work explores themes of the familial, shared experiences, and the quotidian. “Pas de Deux” represents a collection of photographs taken between 2012-2024. Through staged performances and observation, Freyer considers the boundaries between beauty and violence, questioning what differentiates the movements of a dance between two people and an act of self-defence when, in both instances, the bodies sway and roll and reveal a sense of vulnerability:

“Exposed bellies, backs of knees, two women wrestling, and a pile of hands gathering on my grandmother’s arm. I have always been drawn to these secret moments, sacred sites within our internal and most intimate worlds. As I create these photographs, it becomes clear that I am composing a world where I desire to exist. My camera mediates between my lived experiences and those I so deeply desire, a place existing between the landscape and my lens. These photographs of women are not just images; they are an offering. They extend a sense of community, a thread of connection, even in the most solitary of moments.”