IRINGÓ DEMETER

In partnership with Squarespace

The talent of Iringó Demeter lies in her ability to communicate a very distinct feeling or atmosphere through her visual work. Many photographers aim for this, but few can capture it successfully. Looking at the physical bodies in her images you experience a physical reaction, connecting to a feeling of inner peace, loneliness, discomfort or sometimes confidence. 

In her work, Iringó often focuses on areas of the body that we’re told aren’t beautiful; scars, stretch marks, hair, stomach rolls are honed in on to reframe how we see ourselves and celebrate these overlooked and unloved body parts. 

Having always celebrated the physicality of others, Iringó began to readdress the relationship she had with her own body, a body she felt had always been under the constant surveillance and judgement of others. Through this new series created exclusively for Riposte, Iringo turns the camera on herself in an ultimate act of personal freedom. 

We spoke to Iringó about the work she has created, what inspired this new series and how she finds freedom in her life. 

How does this new series represent freedom for you?

Growing up, the people around me always commented on my physical appearance. I began to believe what they said about me. I internalised this sense of being inadequate and based my worth around the size of my body. As a result, I was in intense emotional pain and developed an eating disorder.

I kept myself in this box for my whole life, and recently it started to feel very uncomfortable. I began to feel like a fake because, in my work, I celebrate other people's bodies. I have so much love for them, but then I would go home with a deep self-hatred and isolate myself because of the shame I felt about my body. 

I decided that I had to free myself from all this. I had to approach my self-image struggle in the way that I know best–by looking at my own body. So I used photography to look for freedom from the punishing thoughts that have lived within me and I’ve replaced them with acceptance and power to move forward more freely.

I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to explore this theme; it’s beautiful that we can use our creativity to heal ourselves and share our stories in the hope that they will inspire others.

Do you think about the viewer when you’re creating work? Are you interested in their reading or how it makes them feel?

I do my thing knowing that there will be people out there who will relate to my experiences and others will not. I can't control what people will feel. What I can focus on is being honest and curious. 

Also, I’m not a fan of titling or explaining the work too much. This is one of the very few times that I’ve spoken in a lengthy way about a series. I hope that some people will discover themselves in the work and take away their own experience.

How has life for a photographer online changed? What are some of the positives, and what have you found challenging?

Not out of shyness, but I’m not naturally disposed to go to events to network and make connections in big groups, so I realised that if I’m not going to be at the parties, I will have to be… somewhere.

I vividly remember how shocked I was that I, who has absolutely no inclination towards web design, could stay up one night and by asking google how to do this-and-that in Squarespace, I had a functional, nice and simple website the next day. It gives you a bit of confidence, knowing that you have accessible tools to start things on your own.

How do you maintain boundaries to ensure your freedom isn’t compromised?

We live in too much fear of sharing our honest thoughts and feelings. We bottle up so many things up but a lot can be achieved and avoided by sincere, kind communication.

Who or what represents freedom to you?

A peaceful state of mind.