Denisse Ariana Pérez on documenting a real portrayal of marginalised communities – not models, not victims

Two predominant themes arise in the wonderful Denisse Ariana Pérez’s photography practice: masculinity and water. Sharing exclusive images on the subject during her Nicer Tuesdays talk back in August, the Copenhagen-based photographer gave us lucky viewers a whistle-stop tour of her career to date and, excitingly, a sneak peek into her upcoming book interrogating notions of water, which has been two years in the making.

A self-described “people photographer”, at the heart of Denisse’s work, she explores “people as they interact with nature, each other, and their immediate echo systems and environments.” Passionate about changing the narrative when it comes to the portrayal of marginalised communities, Denisse’s photography depicts real people, not models, and not victims. In this fascinating talk, Denisse discussed how art can raise the public consciousness. Then, in a short Q&A with our editor Matt, she spoke of how her subjects respond to the work and how she directs and interacts with those she photographs.