Behdad Esfahbod Photography
Portraits, staged scenes, and photographs from everyday life and travel—from family moments to explorations of identity and the body.
Selected works have appeared in group exhibitions in Edmonton and Calgary.
Content advisory: artistic nudity.
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∞ In Full
Bringing Style to Edmonton
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Life Socks
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Burgundy
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Awake?
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Irene & Ice Cream
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Irene I
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Mehraveh, Sunkissed
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Rebirth
Statement
The Psychedelic experience is widely believed to be ineffable. In this project I try to capture these extraordinary and out-of-body experiences.
One of the healing effects of medicinal Psychedelic use that some people experience is going back to the womb. Another is becoming one with the Universe. In this image I depict those experiences by focusing on the navel, and a background that looks both like a sonogram and / or a night sky.
The projected image is produced by Electric Sheep, an Open Source volunteer computing project for animating and evolving fractal images.
Shy
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Douglas, Mania, and Robin
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Don’t Drink & Drive
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Gillian at the Sentinel
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Irene by the River
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Basil
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Fluid
Statement
I explore the fluidity of identity, especially during moments of bipolar mania. The double frames on my glasses reflect the duality I feel within—layers of perception, distortion, and clarity coexisting at once. My body, bare and exposed, emphasizes the vulnerability and rawness of these experiences. With my chest pumped out, I embrace a sense of femininity that often arises during my manic episodes, a time when my identity feels expansive, unbound by traditional masculine or feminine norms. This is a snapshot of a moment when my bipolar self redefines who I am, blurring lines and opening new possibilities.
Freedom
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Cartoon
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Contempt
Chinese dominates the sign while Mongolian is relegated to a much smaller line above, despite the expanse of unused space below.
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