A group of people were locked in a dark room for a psychological experiment. There was no light and nothing to do. So these young adults started talking and joking around. The more time they spent there, the situation changed. Infrared cameras were able to capture as people started touching each other, until a couple was formed and did not hesitate to have sex in front of everyone else, in total darkness. That experiment happened in the nineteen seventies, when the sexual revolution was still relevant. The experiment was replicated during the second decade of the twenty-first century and, to the surprise of some, there was no physical contact whatsoever. Nobody dared to touch anyone else. Psychologists say that this is due to a tendency of being detached to anything physical, and likely related to a growing culture of personal space and sexual norms.
What’s true is that recent generations are more and more disconnected from their bodies. This produces a repulsion of human contact. Some people call it “personal space,” since they don’t see touch as a bad thing and sexual activity has not diminished over time. But lately the limits are very well set. There are quite a few many negative factors that have created this trend, but there’s also cultural reason that have made us repel closeness. David Teplica’s images show human contact which might present itself as an uncomfortable portrait of human nature in an nontraditional setting.
Naked bodies coming together to create one body with many limbs. The photographs take a closer look into the human figure and as well as the aesthetics of bodily perfection. Teplica is a plastic surgeon, which explains his interest in the body and its many postures. During his years in medical school he also did in MFA in Fine Art, and has combined these two separate subjects and made the study of anatomy into an art form.
The series titled Entanglements explores human contact from an aesthetic point of view, and the result is a series of patterns that describe the body’s sensual and natural beauty.
His pictures travel between the rational and the emotional. The body is symmetric, but not as perfect as a traced circle. Teplica puts several bodies together to create perfect geometric shapes through group composition.
His most famous work is the series Twins, where he captured pairs of twins at different ages in order to see the small, subtle differences these identical beings can have.
“I’m concerned about how light plays off of body surfaces and changes the way a person or situation is perceived. Form, symmetry, and composition can all be used to evoke specific emotional or psychological responses from the viewer. In the three-dimensional field of Plastic Surgery, form is altered so that a patient sees himself differently. Interestingly, society may or may not see the changes, but often reacts more favorably to a post-surgical patient who carries himself more confidently through life’s daily routine.”
It’s not just a simple portrait of twins that shows their similarity. It’s a study of human anatomy and the way growth affects the body even when the changes are barely noticeable. The changes David Teplica captures are more than just a demonstration of natural beauty. It’s a study on the scientific implications that echo in his operating room in Chicago, where people from all over the world come to see him because of this peculiar knowledge the human body.
Our bodies are works of art. Let’s not lose sight of what we are and continue to separate ourselves from human contact. We need to be human, feel human, and touch other humans.
If you’re interested in finding more about David Teplica, visit his website which features more about his art and medical practice.