I discovered a trove of never-before-used photographs, that I had made during the course of other projects, that begged to stand on their own. Couples is a collection of thirty-seven photographs, made mostly in a public park, offering a view of the diverse world of relationships. The images are by no means descriptive of mature love, nor do they seek to define all relationships, but within the confines of this modest collection, we encounter conventional and unconventional couples, depicting innocence, flirtation, romance, primal attraction, fear, sorrow, exhibitionism, uninhibited passion, devotion, and loyalty.
The series begins with a medley of teens celebrating their budding sexuality and ends with an elderly man laughing with his debilitated wife. In between, we meet a woman soothing a battered man, as another nestles tenderly into her (wheelchair-bound) husband; a young man cuddling his canine companion, and in contrast, a sadist "choking" a willing companion; a lesbian maternally cradling her partner and a ruffian posing with arms around her black-eyed buddy; and, on a whimsical note, two dogs sniffing one another. We finally witness an elderly man consoling a dying spouse.
I looked at how these pairs are "bound" to one another—how they sit with, lean on, hold onto, and embrace each other, or simply "fit" together—and I recorded the life force emanating from them. To be touched by another being (even a pet), and journey with them, (however briefly,) is a sacred privilege. It is something that every human experiences at least once in a lifetime, whether rich or poor, intelligent or slow-witted, refined or vulgar, small or large, healthy or ill, young or old.
Through relationships we face our heart—its rich and exhilarating grandeur, as well as its painful limitations—as it seeks to find its stride and beat with another. The photographs put a face on the desire for connection, paying homage to partners, couples and coupling, and lovers and loving.
Abraham Menashe