After a 101 year old woman offered to sit for a nude portrait session with photographer Anastasia Pottinger, Pottinger conceived of a project called Centenarians, through which she is photographing models who are at least 100 years old.
“This body of work was born out of the opportunity I had to photograph a 101 year old woman who volunteered, on her own accord, to model nude for me. It was merely an exercise in documenting her form in a beautiful way. My only instructions from her were to make sure she was not identifiable in the images. She was willing to do anything I asked of her.
When I later reviewed the images on my computer, I knew I was looking at something very special. It was when I began exhibiting the work that the idea to continue the series was born. The response to the images has been remarkable. Viewers are visibly moved by what they are looking at. Whether it’s wondering, “is this what I’m going to look like?” or remembering a loved one – the response seems to be universally emotional on some level.
The first question I get from everyone seems to be, “How did you get these models?” The first one came to me. The others have certainly been more difficult, although all of them have come to me through a known resource like a granddaughter or family friend”, Anastasia Pottinger says.
