Just the Two of Us: Portraits of Cosplay Enthusiasts in their Homes by Klaus Pichler (22 pictures)
In his ongoing series of portraits titled Just the Two of Us, photographer Klaus Pitchler gained access to the homes of Austrain costume play (cosplay) enthusiasts where he photographed the elaborately costumed individuals against the backdrops of their everyday life. Via his artist statement:
Who hasn’t had the desire just to be someone else for a while? Dressing up is a way of creating an alter ego, a second skin which one’s behaviour can be adjusted to and causes a person to be perceived differently. ‘Just the two of us’ deals with both costumes and the people behind them.
The tradition of dressing up and wearing costumes has been part of many traditional special celebrations in society for centuries.
For the photo series ‘Just the two of us’ shows owners of elaborate costumes in their own homes. The choice of location is not a coincidence: Nowhere else is the (abstract) link between the person behind the mask and his or her alter ego as visible as in their own home. Nowhere else would it have been possible to portray the mask and, figuratively speaking, the person behind it on the same picture.
