ABSTRACT
Looking at the portraits of others and being photographically portrayed are among some of the earliest memories for many people. Anstett's minimalist approach to her subjects seems to catch them at the mysterious moment of transitioning to sleep from wakefulness, called hypnagogia. Something is revealed about the individuality of these people even though there is no eye contact or apparent awareness of the intermediary, the photographer, who is offering this intrusive access to the viewer. Viewing these images feels like an invasion of private space, a feeling reinforced by the apparent nudity of the women. If they are lying down and photographed in this clinical way, not asleep on a bed or a couch, the surface must be something else and could easily become suggestive of a mortuary table. Anstett does this with nuance and, in fact, insists quite forcefully without ever insisting at all. This then is an example of peaceful protest through her peaceful images.
