Featured Artist: Fritz Liedtke

Fritz Liedtke is a photographer from Oregon who has created a project on eating disorders that has gained much recognition. His work is daring in the unwavering way it presents the darker sides of self love and self hate. Since I was lucky enough to have access to part of the exhibition at BSU, I went for a visit.

Walking up the steps of the Student Union building, I began to hear the faintest hiss of whispers, growing louder as I made my way towards the Skeleton in the Closet exhibition, a series of intimate portraits by artist Fritz Liedtke, porying those who struggle with the secrets of anorexia and bulimia. In a way, the whispers set the scene, eerily telling the tales of the people portrayed in the photographs. Snatches of story would break through the hum of surrounding people, as if you had accidentally stepped in on an intimate confession.


Intimate confession: though color and focus would vary from piece to piece, this was the unifying theme of so many of the project’s portraits. I was struck by the wide age range represented (the youngest I can remember was 13) and the inclusion of both genders.



Due to the general sadness of the project, many portraits had subdued colors with dark shadows. But not all followed this pattern. Some, usually the pictures of those who had reached a further stage of recovery, were brighter or had optimistic or empowered poses.


Still, my favorite of the portraits and the one I thought most embodied the spirit of the project, was that of Katie. Nestled in the center of criss-crossing bars of playground equipment, the girl lay curled in a fetal position. The dark brown bark and steely blue-grey bars that surround visually reflect the coldness that she sees in the world around her, caging the bright, floral sundress that represents her heart.

Perhaps one of the reasons I found the portrait so striking was the combination of geometric and organic shapes and the vivid use of line. The girl’s shape is organic, natural, but the playground bars around her form perfect rectangles that create an intricate frame. The stark contrast between shape types is visually striking. In addition to this contrast is the strong use of line. While all the bars frame her, the four main posts run from the portrait’s edges straight down to the girl. These actual lines effectively draw your attention straight to the heart of the picture: Katie.