A KALTBLUT exclusive. The Oriental Paradise responds to the way postcolonial aesthetics are often absorbed into visual culture as consumable symbols of diversity, trauma, and exoticism. Through three narrative looks: Venus of the East, Paradise Lost, and Sibuxiang. The work stages a gradual transformation of the body: from an exoticised and objectified figure to a partially deconstructed presence, and finally to a xenobiological form beyond fixed identity.
Using material experimentation and performative styling, the project constructs a counter-gaze toward the Western-centric visual discipline. Here, the body becomes both medium and archive, carrying traces of power and desire. Photography is treated as a twisted viewing mechanism that exposes the systems producing Orientalist fantasies and the fetishisation of trauma.
creative direction by Kei / Instagram: @dvil.in.exile
producer Cai / Instagram: @ivenhis
photography by Kei / Instagram: @dvil.in.exile
styling by Namevarg / Instagram: @namevarg.ltd
hair and makeup by Irini / Instagram: @knowmysunshine
model: Meng Duan signed at L’Or Management / Instagram: @meng_damn @lor.management
fashion:
all garments custom-made by Namevarg / Instagram: @namevarg.ltd
