Intimacy, Vulnerability and the Domestic Body: The Erotic Photography of Mateo de la Rioja

The erotic photography of the contemporary Ottawa-based photographer Mateo de la Rioja is striking not simply because it depicts naked bodies, but because it treats eroticism as an atmosphere rather than an event. There is also a sense of softness and intimacy in some of these photographs. In this article I will focus on three of his series of erotic photographs: ‘Aeres’, ‘The Garden’ and ‘Ambroisie’; in all three, but especially in ‘Ambroisie’ the body is situated within recognisably intimate domestic environments: a bed, a bedroom, soft daylight, rumpled sheets, furniture and personal objects. These spaces transform the nude body from an abstract object of desire into something more psychologically complicated: a body that belongs to a particular relationship, a private moment and a lived environment.

Fig.1  Mateo de la Rioja, The Garden

Fig.2  Mateo de la Rioja, Ambroisie

Spontaneous-Looking

Across all three series of photographs Mateo de la Rioja repeatedly places intimacy somewhere between tenderness and exposure. His subjects are not presented as polished fashion models or idealised classical nudes. Their poses are spontaneous-looking, physically intertwined and sometimes awkward. This apparent lack of formal perfection becomes central to the eroticism of the work. Desire emerges through proximity, touch, vulnerability and the suggestion of a relationship continuing outside the frame.

Fig.3  Mateo de la Rioja, Ambroisie

Fig.4  Mateo de la Rioja, Ambroisie

Bodily Geometry

The ‘Ambroisie’ series of erotic photographs is perhaps the most immediately romantic of the three and definitely most domestic; the eroticism within the everyday life we might call it. The soft, warm light of these photographs immediately makes them seem intimate and believable, not staged or carefully arranged. In these photos the couple are seen engaging in the act of making love and it feel almost as a step by step process, from the foreplay to penetration. In Fig.4. they are both kneeling on a bed in a warmly lit bedroom, their bodies close as they share a kiss. Unlike the photographs from the other two series we will discuss here, which feel distant and almost diagrammatic and some of the photographs even emphasise the bodily geometry, the ‘Ambroisie’ images foreground an emotional connection. The composition in Fig.4. is divided between the warm wall on the left and the luminous window on the right. The subjects occupy the center, effectively positioned between interior darkness and exterior light. This contrast gives the image a cinematic quality.

Fig.5  Mateo de la Rioja, Ambroisie

Fig.6  Mateo de la Rioja, Aeres

Crescent Moon Tattoo

The domestic surroundings are especially significant. A lamp, patterned bed covers, flowing curtains, plants and assorted objects establish the room as someone’s actual living space. There is an almost hippie, bohemian, free-spirited vibe to the room and to the couple themselves; the woman with her crescent moon tattoo seen in Fig.6. and the man’s longish hair. Erotic photography frequently removes such context in order to create an idealised fantasy, but Mateo de la Rioja does the opposite in this series and this is precisely why I love these photographs so much. He allows the environment to remain visible, suggesting that erotic intimacy is inseparable from ordinary life.

Fig.7   Mateo de la Rioja, Ambroisie

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• reviews of the "Aeres", "Ambroisie" and "The Garden" series
• the author's personal favorite photograph of Mateo de la Rioja
• his use of the landscape
• what makes his photograph erotic
• what characterizes the distinctive language of his erotic photography

The Mateo De La Rioja website can be found here

Click HERE for our engaging interview with Mateo de la Rioja

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