{"id":1752912,"date":"2026-02-05T12:53:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T09:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1752912"},"modified":"2026-02-05T12:53:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T09:53:00","slug":"these-photos-intimately-reimagine-what-it-means-to-be-a-muse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1752912","title":{"rendered":"These photos intimately reimagine what it means to be a muse"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/0-45-2400-1600\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436457.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article standard \">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/art-photography\/article\/69563\/1\/andie-darling-elsa-hammaren-muse-photography-trans-womanhood-candy-darling-hujar\" data-article-id=\"69563\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-portrait-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img has-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.8\" data-template=\"Standard Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Elsa Hammar&#233;n, Andie, Darling\" class=\"img\" height=\"3000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1280\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436457.jpg\" width=\"2400\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"inner\"><span class=\"credit\">Elsa Hammar\u00e9n, <span class=\"nowrap\">Andie, Darling<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-02-05T12:53:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"05 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"5\">5,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - art-photography\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\">Art &amp; Photography<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/lightbox\">Lightbox<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"standard-tag-container\"><a class=\"standard-category\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\">Art &amp; Photography<\/a> \/<br \/>\n<a class=\"standard-series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/lightbox\">Lightbox<\/a><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>These photos intimately reimagine what it means to be <span class=\"nowrap\">a muse<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>Andie, Darling is a poignant photo project by Elsa Hammar\u00e9n which documents her muse across two years of <span class=\"nowrap\">trans womanhood<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-02-05T12:53:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"05 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"5\">5,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-02-05T12:53:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"05 February 2026\"><span class=\"month\">February<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"5\">5,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/TiarnaMeehan\">Tiarna<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-12-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">Elsa Hammar\u00e9n, <span class=\"nowrap\">Andie, Darling<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36631\/0\/elsa-hammaren-andie-darling\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Elsa Hammar&#233;n, Andie, Darling\" class=\"img\" height=\"1666\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-226-2500-1666\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436447.jpg\" width=\"2500\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36631\/1\/elsa-hammaren-andie-darling\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Elsa Hammar&#233;n, Andie, Darling\" class=\"img\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-113-2000-1333\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436456.jpg\" width=\"2000\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36631\/2\/elsa-hammaren-andie-darling\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"AndieDarling-6\" class=\"img\" height=\"1666\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2500-1666\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436452.jpg\" width=\"2500\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36631\/3\/elsa-hammaren-andie-darling\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Elsa Hammar&#233;n, Andie, Darling\" class=\"img\" height=\"1270\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1905-1270\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436448.jpg\" width=\"1905\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36631\/4\/elsa-hammaren-andie-darling\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Elsa Hammar&#233;n, Andie, Darling\" class=\"img\" height=\"1606\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-777-2410-1606\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436449.jpg\" width=\"2410\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36631\/5\/elsa-hammaren-andie-darling\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Elsa Hammar&#233;n, Andie, Darling\" class=\"img\" height=\"1358\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-819-2038-1358\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436450.jpg\" width=\"2038\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 12 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>\u201cI am curious about the fact that there are some people we just can\u2019t stop looking at,\u201d says Swedish photographer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/elsa.hammaren\/?hl=en\">Elsa Hammar\u00e9n<\/a>. That fascination is at the heart of <\/span><em><span>Andie, Darling<\/span><\/em><span>, her ongoing documentation of the life of Andie, the project\u2019s inspiration, over the past two years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The pair first met when Andie was 22, at a Midtown hotel room during what was meant to be a one-off shoot. \u201cHer t-shirt, with an American flag motif, was hanging loosely on her body and I could see her bony shoulders through the thin, white cotton. She moved around with such ease, only in her tee and pyjama shorts, already comfortable in my presence,\u201d Hammar\u00e9n recalls of that first encounter. From there emerged a connection that was the genesis for an intimate account of Andie\u2019s daily life \u2013 captured between her Brooklyn apartment and East Village dwellings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019s a level of direct documentation that feels rare in a world defined by the ultra-fast capturing, uploading and sharing of images online. For Andie, the project has been a way to define how she wants to be seen. \u201cAs a trans girl, I\u2019m not always entirely comfortable with others\u2019 gaze on me \u2013 whether it be men with <\/span><span>underlying intentions <\/span><span>or people\u2019s general curiosity,\u201d she explains. \u201cWith Elsa, I feel incredibly seen and understood. She\u2019s not only capturing me, she\u2019s a friend who understands my issues with how I\u2019ve been seen, and seems to want to honour that in how she presents me to the world. It\u2019s definitely galvanised me to honour my own desires of how I\u2019d like to be seen, rather than just fold into whatever other people may want me to be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"2d202c94-b8ad-439d-b84f-b3e800a358e4\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1888\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436453.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.8\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Elsa Hammar&#233;n, Andie, Darling\" class=\"img\" height=\"2361\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436453.jpg\" width=\"1888\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Photography Elsa Hammar\u00e9n<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Throughout <\/span><em><span>Andie, Darling<\/span><\/em><span>, the project engages with the idea of a muse. \u201cThe term is used historically, usually a male artist portraying a female, and not uncommonly someone they had a sexual relationship with. This use of the term could feel outdated to many. I am curious about it though, and believe it can be refined in a more collaborative manner but with the same foundation as the word\u2019s origin, an almost obsessive love and inspiration for one person,\u201d Hammar\u00e9n explains.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>This feeling of observation is central to the project. While some shots portray Andie in more staged or referential forms, the majority capture her deep within the mundanities of everyday life \u2013 lounging on apartment beds, lost in music, or wandering through the city. It\u2019s these moments that compound in one of Andie\u2019s favourite shots, \u201c<\/span><span>I\u2019m sitting on a piano bench talking to her about some composition I had been writing and<\/span><span>she shot me mid-sentence. I like how she\u2019s able to capture me in moments like that, where<\/span><span>I\u2019m excited about something and full of energy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>These ordinary intimacies are also captured in the photographs of bedside tables which appear in the project. Their surfaces are often cluttered with pill bottles of estrogen and spironolactone, strawberry melatonin gummies beside a vape, and a flat ginger ale. \u201cI think our personal belongings reveal a lot about ourselves,\u201d shares the photographer as she reveals the stories behind the images. \u201cThis poster is from <\/span><em><span>Jesus Christ Superstar<\/span><\/em><span>, which is a musical Andie loved as a child. There is a wooden box from Venezuela which Andie visited as a kid on a mission with her parents and a Victoria&#8217;s Secret mist she stole from an old employer she hated to work for, [and] never wore since the smell reminds her of him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"ae3c18a1-44ec-4121-9577-b3e800a35183\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436449.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"square\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"square\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Elsa Hammar&#233;n, Andie, Darling\" class=\"img\" height=\"2410\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436449.jpg\" width=\"2410\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Photography Elsa Hammar\u00e9n<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Alongside these candid moments, some shots are more purposefully referential. The project\u2019s namesake and underlying reference is that of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/candy-darling\">Candy Darling<\/a>, the actress and icon of trans visibility in 60s and 70s New York. \u201cThere\u2019s a playful, more performative space that we also enter together, where we are dreaming. Sometimes we would aim to refer to a specific image such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/peter-hujar\">Peter Hujar<\/a>\u2019s portrait of Candy Darling on her deathbed. Direct references like that rarely lead to a specific photograph, but rather to a space of playfulness and dreaming,\u201d she explains. Other influences come to light in photographs, such as Andie on Hammar\u00e9n\u2019s roof in a red coat, referencing Krzysztof Kieslowski\u2019s <\/span><em><span>Three Colours: Red<\/span><\/em><span>, or the large-scale portrait of Andie topless.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While their collaboration began around the camera, their relationship has grown beyond it. Over the course of the project, Hammar\u00e9n also began noticing changes in herself. \u201cI could notice an envy of assertiveness, admiration. A certain melancholia coming to light, something I perhaps see in Andie or project onto her; it could be both. My own image and identity, desires, how I wish to be or be seen myself \u2013 this is something I am still exploring,\u201d she reflects.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While the project has already culminated in gallery showings and features, Hammar\u00e9n plans to continue documenting Andie. \u201cI admire photographers who return to or stick with their subjects. I also think of time as a tool in documenting Andie\u2019s external world \u2013 seasons, lifestyle shifts, homes, economic situations, haircuts \u2013 as much as changes and explorations of our internal world(s).\u201d It\u2019s a <\/span>practice of observation and intimacy<span> that is already evident in the few years the project has been ongoing. \u201cI imagine the work being a book after ten years of photographing her. A decade feels like a good amount of time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! 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data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Osean_Editorial\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-2-3000-1995\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/4\/1434313.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Watch: How three artists make space for AI, creativity and worldbuilding<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline\" data-newsletter hidden>\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-12-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">Elsa Hammar\u00e9n, <span class=\"nowrap\">Andie, Darling<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36631\/0\/elsa-hammaren-andie-darling\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Elsa Hammar&#233;n, Andie, Darling\" class=\"img\" height=\"1666\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-226-2500-1666\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436447.jpg\" width=\"2500\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36631\/1\/elsa-hammaren-andie-darling\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Elsa Hammar&#233;n, Andie, Darling\" class=\"img\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-113-2000-1333\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436456.jpg\" width=\"2000\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36631\/2\/elsa-hammaren-andie-darling\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"AndieDarling-6\" class=\"img\" height=\"1666\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2500-1666\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436452.jpg\" width=\"2500\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36631\/3\/elsa-hammaren-andie-darling\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Elsa Hammar&#233;n, Andie, Darling\" class=\"img\" height=\"1270\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-1905-1270\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436448.jpg\" width=\"1905\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36631\/4\/elsa-hammaren-andie-darling\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Elsa Hammar&#233;n, Andie, Darling\" class=\"img\" height=\"1606\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-777-2410-1606\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436449.jpg\" width=\"2410\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36631\/5\/elsa-hammaren-andie-darling\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Elsa Hammar&#233;n, Andie, Darling\" class=\"img\" height=\"1358\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-819-2038-1358\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436450.jpg\" width=\"2038\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 12 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>\u201cI am curious about the fact that there are some people we just can\u2019t stop looking at,\u201d says Swedish photographer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/elsa.hammaren\/?hl=en\">Elsa Hammar\u00e9n<\/a>. That fascination is at the heart of <\/span><em><span>Andie, Darling<\/span><\/em><span>, her ongoing documentation of the life of Andie, the project\u2019s inspiration, over the past two years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The pair first met when Andie was 22, at a Midtown hotel room during what was meant to be a one-off shoot. \u201cHer t-shirt, with an American flag motif, was hanging loosely on her body and I could see her bony shoulders through the thin, white cotton. She moved around with such ease, only in her tee and pyjama shorts, already comfortable in my presence,\u201d Hammar\u00e9n recalls of that first encounter. From there emerged a connection that was the genesis for an intimate account of Andie\u2019s daily life \u2013 captured between her Brooklyn apartment and East Village dwellings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019s a level of direct documentation that feels rare in a world defined by the ultra-fast capturing, uploading and sharing of images online. For Andie, the project has been a way to define how she wants to be seen. \u201cAs a trans girl, I\u2019m not always entirely comfortable with others\u2019 gaze on me \u2013 whether it be men with <\/span><span>underlying intentions <\/span><span>or people\u2019s general curiosity,\u201d she explains. \u201cWith Elsa, I feel incredibly seen and understood. She\u2019s not only capturing me, she\u2019s a friend who understands my issues with how I\u2019ve been seen, and seems to want to honour that in how she presents me to the world. It\u2019s definitely galvanised me to honour my own desires of how I\u2019d like to be seen, rather than just fold into whatever other people may want me to be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"2d202c94-b8ad-439d-b84f-b3e800a358e4\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1888\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436453.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.8\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Elsa Hammar&#233;n, Andie, Darling\" class=\"img\" height=\"2361\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436453.jpg\" width=\"1888\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Photography Elsa Hammar\u00e9n<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Throughout <\/span><em><span>Andie, Darling<\/span><\/em><span>, the project engages with the idea of a muse. \u201cThe term is used historically, usually a male artist portraying a female, and not uncommonly someone they had a sexual relationship with. This use of the term could feel outdated to many. I am curious about it though, and believe it can be refined in a more collaborative manner but with the same foundation as the word\u2019s origin, an almost obsessive love and inspiration for one person,\u201d Hammar\u00e9n explains.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>This feeling of observation is central to the project. While some shots portray Andie in more staged or referential forms, the majority capture her deep within the mundanities of everyday life \u2013 lounging on apartment beds, lost in music, or wandering through the city. It\u2019s these moments that compound in one of Andie\u2019s favourite shots, \u201c<\/span><span>I\u2019m sitting on a piano bench talking to her about some composition I had been writing and<\/span><span>she shot me mid-sentence. I like how she\u2019s able to capture me in moments like that, where<\/span><span>I\u2019m excited about something and full of energy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>These ordinary intimacies are also captured in the photographs of bedside tables which appear in the project. Their surfaces are often cluttered with pill bottles of estrogen and spironolactone, strawberry melatonin gummies beside a vape, and a flat ginger ale. \u201cI think our personal belongings reveal a lot about ourselves,\u201d shares the photographer as she reveals the stories behind the images. \u201cThis poster is from <\/span><em><span>Jesus Christ Superstar<\/span><\/em><span>, which is a musical Andie loved as a child. There is a wooden box from Venezuela which Andie visited as a kid on a mission with her parents and a Victoria&#8217;s Secret mist she stole from an old employer she hated to work for, [and] never wore since the smell reminds her of him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"ae3c18a1-44ec-4121-9577-b3e800a35183\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436449.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"square\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"square\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Elsa Hammar&#233;n, Andie, Darling\" class=\"img\" height=\"2410\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436449.jpg\" width=\"2410\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Photography Elsa Hammar\u00e9n<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Alongside these candid moments, some shots are more purposefully referential. The project\u2019s namesake and underlying reference is that of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/candy-darling\">Candy Darling<\/a>, the actress and icon of trans visibility in 60s and 70s New York. \u201cThere\u2019s a playful, more performative space that we also enter together, where we are dreaming. Sometimes we would aim to refer to a specific image such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/peter-hujar\">Peter Hujar<\/a>\u2019s portrait of Candy Darling on her deathbed. Direct references like that rarely lead to a specific photograph, but rather to a space of playfulness and dreaming,\u201d she explains. Other influences come to light in photographs, such as Andie on Hammar\u00e9n\u2019s roof in a red coat, referencing Krzysztof Kieslowski\u2019s <\/span><em><span>Three Colours: Red<\/span><\/em><span>, or the large-scale portrait of Andie topless.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While their collaboration began around the camera, their relationship has grown beyond it. Over the course of the project, Hammar\u00e9n also began noticing changes in herself. \u201cI could notice an envy of assertiveness, admiration. A certain melancholia coming to light, something I perhaps see in Andie or project onto her; it could be both. My own image and identity, desires, how I wish to be or be seen myself \u2013 this is something I am still exploring,\u201d she reflects.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While the project has already culminated in gallery showings and features, Hammar\u00e9n plans to continue documenting Andie. \u201cI admire photographers who return to or stick with their subjects. I also think of time as a tool in documenting Andie\u2019s external world \u2013 seasons, lifestyle shifts, homes, economic situations, haircuts \u2013 as much as changes and explorations of our internal world(s).\u201d It\u2019s a <\/span>practice of observation and intimacy<span> that is already evident in the few years the project has been ongoing. \u201cI imagine the work being a book after ten years of photographing her. A decade feels like a good amount of time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/article\/69563\/1\/andie-darling-elsa-hammaren-muse-photography-trans-womanhood-candy-darling-hujar&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/0-45-2400-1600\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/6\/1436457.jpg&#8221;] Elsa Hammar\u00e9n, Andie, Darling February\u00a0 5,\u00a0 2026 Art &amp; Photography \/ Lightbox Art &amp; Photography \/ Lightbox These photos intimately reimagine what it means to be a muse Andie, Darling is a poignant photo project by Elsa Hammar\u00e9n which documents her muse across two years of trans womanhood February\u00a0 5,\u00a0 2026 February\u00a0 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-1752912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1752912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1752912"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1752912\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1752912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1752912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1752912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}