Jo Pullox

"My imagination is filled with moods from the film Noir, rooms filled with smoke, ivy-covered forests and long brick alleys.

Even though most artists who inspire me – such as Brassai, Helmut Newton and Mapplethorpe – also work with intense atmospheres and sexualities, they are all dead white men and tend to take photographs through their external view – excluding Mapplethorpe. I, however, am a white, queer and European femme photographer and also work with other artists and models of the underground community so that I can create an internal viewpoint.

My fascination with photography and filmmaking derives from the construction and translation of pictures. I feel moved to create the worlds I see inside me, and share them with others. Translating day dreams to pictures.

My themes largely come from observing desire, kink and fantasy.

Jo Pollux's large project “As You Wish, My Lady” is split into several films. She explains:

"For three years, I was in a relationship with Sadie Lune, a professional dom, and we decided to share some of our fantasies, our lifestyle and our shared space with the outside world. Since then, many people ask me about BDSM because some can't understand why someone would put themselves in such a setting. But as soon as I start answering questions and tell them about the heights and emotions coming from this experience, I can see a glint of curiosity and excitement in their eyes.

The mainstream world is filled with inaccurate representations of BDSM; often abuse is romanticised. The focus usually lies on the dom's ego and neglects the essential power balance, the mutual respect and trust that has to be built between dom and bottom.

It's my goal to show vulnerability, gentleness and intimacy in a safe space. To really show the tension of excitement and pleasure.

I want to tempt viewers into a world of bittersweet arousal. To create a bridge between closeness and torture, freedom and pride. As You Wish, My Lady invites viewers to take a gander at the intense and hidden underground BDSM scene in Berlin."

AS YOU WISH MY LADY
“My Lady likes a dark space underground, we’ve all spent time there but none of us know the way. We wait for her inside ourselves, touching each other maybe. She first appears as clacking boots and crushed fig leaves on a stairway, then the boots slacken until still. She’s probably deciding, or maybe she’s done it days ago. I hold my breath, and hope.”