The Beast is a collaborative project between photographer Laura Iisalo and The Beast. It explores themes including power, shame, and emotional hunger.
The male gaze—or simply the gaze—reflects ongoing socio-political dynamics and mechanisms of discipline, and it has consequences. Power has shifted. The unsafe feelings of being judged, expected to obey, and pressured to meet external standards are played with and chewed on by The Beast.
The Beast is an alter ego. It is a defensive mechanism, a safe armor, and a weapon that allows complex emotions to exist and manifest. The Beast is role-play and performance—an exercise in exploring what it means to be human.
The Beast is complicated, needy, hungry, and nasty. The Beast is pretty; it is easy, and it is nice. The Beast is pure contradiction—anything and everything.
When control is lost, The Beast takes over.
It screams for love: Look at me. Stop looking at me.
When I look at The Beast, I recognize that I too am a beast.