Bavarian born, Eva Mueller is a fashion photographer that originally studied graphic design and worked as an art director in Munich but made the transition to fashion, beauty and music photography soon after moving to New York. With an affinity for stark minimalism, Eva Mueller’s fascination with the human body can result in surprisingly playful, complex and searching images. Iconic visuals that are both timeless and unmistakably now are hallmarks of Mueller’s sensibility as a creator and observer. Her background allows her to incorporate a graphic designer’s sensitivity for concept and composition with the fashion photographer’s eye for drama and movement.
When did you become interested in androgyny?
It feels I was always into androgyny, from my childhood on. I think it’s because my parents never pushed me into a gender role. They just let me be. I was a tomboy and liked to play with cars in the dirt wearing jeans and it was ok. So I grew up completely free from the concept of what a girl should do and be. I believed actually that the so-called male and female traits were just society and culture-generated. I didn’t believe that hormones actually make men and women behave and think differently. But honestly I think sometimes ignorance is bliss. So I didn’t take anything on that I felt would box me into a limited role.
These images feel honest and genuine. How do you get your subjects to feel comfortable in front of the camera, and in front of you?
I believe that because I try to never judge and just let people be themselves they feel safe and can express themselves in whichever way they feel comfortable. I don’t push anyone to do anything they’re not comfortable with, but at the same time I let them know that they can go as wild and crazy as they want. So some do – and I love it!
How did you find your subjects for this project?
The series started in 2013 with drag queens who worked at Lucky Chengs. A friend of mine was managing the place and I just bonded with the Lucky Girls as I called the series then, instantly. Later on the series developed into GenderFuck when I started shooting friends and friends of friends who are or were transitioning either way, or people who were just playful with their gender identity and didn’t conform to being binary.
What was your goal, why this project? Is it ongoing, or has it run its course?
The series is ongoing. I’m just taking a breather but I will continue to photograph GenderFuckers. One goal is a coffee table book and also to take the show to different places. It looks like I will have the opportunity to show the work again and with new additions in September in New York again and for longer than three days. But it was a great start!
How did it feel to showcase your work at the Leslie Lohman, the first accredited LGBT art museum in the world?
It was amazing. I was happy when Leslie-Lohman approved the proposal I had submitted in 2015. I always wanted to show there. I have to thank Hunter O’Hanian who was the director there at the time. I had photographed him for my tattoo portrait series and he casually suggested I should send a proposal in for work I’d like to show at Leslie Lohman. The proposal got approved and 18 months later the show became a reality. It is such a wonderful gallery turned museum with an excellent collection. I’m very happy and grateful that the museum has 2 large prints from the show.
Interview by Hallie Neely
Hallie Neely is a writer specializing in photography based in New York, USA.
