Exploring the feminine sublime and the passage of time with photographer Maryam Eisler

‘My end game is to create a deeply poetic painting using the camera as the medium to achieve my goal’

Originally published on Global Voices

Maryam Eisler is an internationally acclaimed photographer and author whose work blends the poetic and the profound. Her photography navigates the intersections of personal identity, collective memory, and the sensorial sublime, often exploring the nuanced strength and beauty of femininity. 

Eisler’s artistic journey includes a series of celebrated books such as Voices: East London and Art Studio America: Contemporary Artist Spaces (co-editor), each capturing the layered aesthetics of cultural and spatial narratives. Her works have been showcased in renowned exhibitions, with series like If Only These Walls Could Talk and Imagining Tina: A Dialogue With Edvard Westonearning critical acclaim for their ability to evoke emotion while embodying conceptual depth.

Born in Iran and now based in London, Eisler’s educational path took her to Wellesley College and Columbia University for postgraduate studies, a foundation that has deeply influenced her intellectual and artistic pursuits. Her contributions to the art world extend beyond her photography, as she has held esteemed positions, including Trustee of the Whitechapel Gallery and Chair of the Middle East Acquisition Committee at the Tate Museum for 10 years.

Additionally, a chief contributor at LUX magazine, Esiler's editorial roles for prestigious art publications like Harper’s Bazaar Art andVanity Fairhave made her a leading voice in the discourse on contemporary art and culture.

Eisler’s work is distinguished by its profound celebration of femininity, exploring the themes of resilience, sensuality, and empowerment. Her lens captures women not as subjects but as forces of nature, weaving narratives that highlight their strength, beauty, and complexity. Through her photographs, she reclaims and redefines the gaze, offering a compelling commentary on the role of women in art and society.

In an interview with Global Voices, Maryam Eisler delves into her artistic philosophy, process, and the cultural reflections that shape her extraordinary body of work.

Excerpts from the interview follow: 

Omid Memarian (OM): In your “Age of Innocence” statement, you describe life as “poetry in motion, a living, breathing canvas which twists and turns, never still or static.” How does this perspective influence your approach to capturing movement and emotion in your photography? 

Maryam Eisler (ME): Life as “poetry in motion” deeply informs my photography. I see every moment as fluid and constantly evolving, thus shaping the way I capture movement interlaced with emotion. Rather than focusing solely on stillness, I aim to evoke a sense of transformation within each frame. Whether it's the way light shifts, the movement of fabric, or the expression of a subject, I try to convey the energy that animates the world around us. Emotions are never static — they ebb and flow. By embracing this perspective on life, I strive to create images that resonate with deep emotional content, at times nostalgic, maybe even melancholic and sometimes romantic, inviting the viewer to feel the pulse of life in every shot. My end game is to create a deeply poetic painting using the camera as the medium to achieve my goal.

OM: Reflecting on your “If Only These Walls Could Talk” series, you mention the joy of “meandering through corridors and spaces once trodden by the greats of art, culture, music, entertainment and literature.” How does the historical significance of a location inform the narratives you create within your photographs? 

ME: The historical significance of a location deeply informs the narratives I create in my photography, particularly when capturing spaces rich in cultural and personal histories. The Nord-Pinus Hotel in Arles is one such place where the past seems to echo through every corridor. Known for hosting iconic figures like Picasso, Van Gogh and Hemingway, it also has a strong connection to the world of bullfighting, a major part of Arles’ cultural identity. Suite 10 at the Nord-Pinus, for example, was frequented by the legendary bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguin, who greeted the crowds from the suite’s balcony, imbuing the space with a raw, masculine energy. This contrasts sharply with the hotel’s connection to the world of fashion and photography, like Helmut Newton’s famous shot of Charlotte Rampling in 1972, where the sitter is presented in a sexy yet highly feminine and empowered manner.

The juxtaposition of these energies — the grace and vulnerability of Rampling’s powerful femininity with the raw, intense masculinity of bullfighters — adds layers of complexity to my visual approach. When I shot at the Nord-Pinus, I wasn’t just capturing a location, but I was also engaging with the tension between these contrasting forces. The hotel’s bullfighting history, combined with its artistic heritage, provides a unique backdrop that informs the mood and narrative of my images. I find that the interplay of light, texture, and space also becomes a way to visually explore these contrasting energies, creating a dialogue between the masculine and the feminine, the timeless and the contemporary, in each frame. Each image tells a story that is both personal and universal, shaped by the history of the location and its past occupants. 

OM: In your “The Now” series, you aim to capture “motion in stillness, anchored in ‘The Now’, consciously present amidst the glory of nature and light.” How do you balance the dynamic interplay between movement and stillness to convey a sense of presence in your work? 

ME: In The Now series, I have tried to capture the delicate balance between movement and stillness, allowing both elements to coexist in harmony. A key theme in this particular body of work is the meditative presence of a lone figure, photographed in the stillness of water, where the subject seems at one with nature, space, and place, as if suspended in the eternal flow of nature. By capturing motion within stillness — whether through the gentle ripple of water or shifting light — I have tried to create a visual dialogue between the fleeting and the permanent, inviting the viewer to experience a profound connection to the present, grounded in the glory of nature.

 OM: You have expressed a consistent exploration into “sensuality and the female gaze.” How have your upbringing and personal experiences shaped your portrayal of femininity and sensuality in your photography? 

ME: They have all played significant roles in shaping how I approach the portrayal of femininity and sensuality in my photography. Attending Wellesley College, an all-women’s institution, was particularly transformative in reinforcing my sense of female identity and empowerment. Surrounded by strong, intellectual women, I gained a deeper understanding of the complexities of womanhood and the power of solidarity in shaping one’s voice.

Later, my professional journey in the beauty industry, working with companies like L'Oréal and Estée Lauder, also profoundly influenced my visual narrative. At the time, my focus was placed on women’s external beauty in developing ad campaigns that emphasized aesthetics. This gave me a refined understanding of how beauty can be presented to the world, but as I transitioned into photography, I sought to go deeper — capturing not just the surface but the essence of a woman's inner world, her soul, and her psyche.

Growing up in Paris in the 1980s, I was immersed in an environment where the fashion and advertising industries were heavily focused on female sexuality and sensuality. The ads and movies of that time, often daring and provocative, struck a fine balance between empowerment and objectification. This exposure shaped my approach to sensuality in my own work, where I aim to portray women in a way that is both empowering and authentic, respecting the fine line between self-expression and vulnerability. Through my photography, I seek to capture the essence of femininity as a multi-layered experience, not just as a surface image but as an exploration of strength, sensuality, and identity.

As an Iranian woman, I am especially proud of the brave women in Iran who are fighting against bigotry and oppression. Their courage and resilience inspire me profoundly and shape my commitment to portraying women in all their strength, resilience, and beauty.

 OM: In your “The Now” series, you reference Laozi's concept that “true power is stillness within motion.” How do philosophical ideas inform your photographic practice, particularly in capturing the essence of a moment? 

ME: Philosophical ideas, especially those rooted in my own cultural heritage, as seen, for example, in Persian poetry’s timeless wisdom, have deeply informed my life and, therefore, photographic practice, particularly when it comes to capturing the essence of a moment. Laozi’s notion that “true power is stillness within motion” resonates with me profoundly as I strive to find that perfect balance between the fleeting and the eternal in my work. This idea aligns with the musings of Persian poet Omar Khayyam: “Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life,” emphasizing, in my case, the capture of a single frame that speaks to the fullness of this present moment — its transient beauty, its truth.

Saadi’s wisdom also comes to mind: “Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy,” – speaking to the art of patiently waiting for the right moment to unfold, just as Henri Cartier-Bresson famously described the “decisive moment’, when all elements of a scene align perfectly, and the essence of the moment is captured in a single click.

For me, this kind of philosophy is about embracing both stillness and motion, waiting for the universe to reveal the perfect moment, and then trusting my instinct to photograph it. The result translates into an instant where motion and stillness come together, intertwined. 

OM: You have been recognized as one of Artnet’s ‘100 most powerful women in art’ and have a focus on “the feminine sublime.” How do you see the role of women evolving in the field of photography, especially with advancements in technology and AI? 

ME: As a woman, and especially as a woman photographer, I believe that emotional intelligence and intuition are vital in creating imagery that connects deeply with my viewers. For me, photography is about conveying feeling, not technical precision. I’m more interested in evoking an emotional response than in capturing perfect compositions or sharp focus. My work is an exploration of transposing my own feelings onto the photographic paper, creating a visceral experience for the viewer that resonates on a deeply human level. While AI and technology can offer new tools, I believe they can never replace the human touch — the emotional depth and intuition that women bring to their craft. The physicality of the image, the human hand that captures a precise moment, and the eye that witnesses it all remain irreplaceable. Photography, for me, is about transcending the technical to communicate a deeply personal, emotional truth.

OM:  In your “Age of Innocence” statement, you mention that life is “always marching forward, in an endless flow of time.” How do you address the concept of time and its passage in your photographic compositions? 

ME:  In my “Age of Innocence” series, I explore the passage of time as both a force and fleeting beauty. Much like Martin Scorsese’s film, where the past and present coexist in a delicate dance, my work reflects on the tension between innocence and life experience. In my manner of capturing movement, I have aimed to create images that feel both timeless and transient, inviting the viewer to pause and reflect on the profound beauty of time as it slips away, one moment at a time.

Whilst shooting the series back in January 2024 in Paris, on Place Furstenberg, a most charming and romantic corner of Saint Germain des Pres, I was reminded of the timeless quality of Chopin’s “Nocturnes” … particularly in the way that his genius mind blended longing and melancholy with fleeting beauty, like a delicate waltz between past and present. The movement in Chopin’s music often feels like a slow, elegant passage of time, evoking both nostalgia and the ephemeral nature of life. Similarly, in my photography, I aim to capture moments that are infused with that same sense of delicate interplay, where the innocence of youth and the wisdom of experience coexist in harmony.

As I move beyond my own “Age of Innocence,” I realize that time has granted me a new layer of wisdom and experience. This evolution allows me to approach my work with a deeper understanding and a more nuanced perspective. My current age, 56, and the life I've lived, I believe, add depth and richness to my photographic vision — transforming each image into a reflection not just of the moment captured but of the wisdom that comes from seeing life unfold over time. Photography, for me, is not just about what is seen but about infusing each moment with the knowledge and emotional depth that comes from living through many.

Written by Omid Memarian