Three-Panel Portraits of Strangers

Triptychs of Strangers #20, The Analog Lover - London

How often do you allow a stranger to take your picture? Photographer Adde Adesokan approaches unknown people on the street and asks to photograph them. In fact, the Germany-based photographer has started a passion project called Triptychs of Strangers that also requires him to get to know his subjects. His short and concise mission statement reads: “meet strangers -?get to know them -?take three personality-matching body shots?-?make them one.”

It's Adesokan's triptych technique, which essentially involves displaying an image (or a number of images) across three panels, that makes his particular series stand out from your average photography project. By separating each of the portraits into three frames, it allows the viewer to choose whether to soak in the image as one whole entity or translate each panel individually. My initial reaction was to see it all at once, as if they were distorted little bobble-headed figurines. After my quick re-evaluation of the picture, my approach was to dissect and interpret the separated images on their own and then to view the image as a whole again.

Adesokan's ongoing series, which is his take on the 100 Strangers challenge, can be viewed in his Flickr set, where you can find out more about each of the subjects.

Triptychs of Strangers #15, The Formidable Dancer - Hamburg
Triptychs of Strangers #11, The Hungry Typograph - Hamburg
Triptychs of Strangers #4: The Couple I, Montmarte - Paris
Triptychs of Strangers #18, The Revolutionary Security Guard - London
All images used with permission from Adde Adesokan
Adde Adesokan's website and Flickr
via [PetaPixel]

Pinar

Pinar Noorata (she/her) is the Editorial Director at My Modern Met. She is a writer, editor, and content creator based in Brooklyn, New York. She earned her BA in Film and Media Studies from CUNY Hunter College. She has worked at major TV, film, and publishing companies as well as other independent media businesses. She also runs her own art & culture newsletter called The High Low. She first joined the My Modern Met team in 2011 as a Contributing Writer, pitching and publishing articles about a wide range of topics. Her expertise in visual media lends itself to in-depth analysis of varied art forms, including but not limited to painting, illustration, sculpture, installation, design, and photography. Pinar has a particular affinity for spotlighting up-and-coming artists, affording them a platform and offering a voice to lesser-heard individuals looking to break through, especially BIPOC creatives. She has helped multiple artists make a name for themselves and reach a wider audience over 10+ years as a writer and editor (both through long-form articles and short-form videos). When she isn’t writing, editing, or creating videos herself, Pinar enjoys watching films and TV, reading, crafting, drawing, frequenting museums and galleries, and volunteering at her local animal shelter.
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