How to Peel yourself: the ritual of shedding and becoming
In Osman Özel’s visual narrative for Lampoon SOAP, the act of cleansing becomes an intimate choreography of transformation – a meditation on identity, purity, and the art of unveiling oneself
The Body as Memory, the Bathroom as Stage – Photographer Osman Özel for Lampoon SOAP
Photographer Osman Özel captures a quiet act of transformation — the shedding of identities, the cleansing of surfaces, the subtle unveiling of what lies beneath. Set against the sterile geometry of white tiles, the series unfolds as both intimate and performative: a meditation on purity, artifice, and renewal.
The bathroom — a place of exposure, vulnerability, and ritual — becomes a stage where layers of the self are peeled away. Foam, water, and soap recur as tactile motifs; they cleanse, conceal, and reveal in equal measure. Through Özel’s precise lens, the body is not objectified but reclaimed — a surface that remembers, a vessel that seeks clarity.
Styling as a Language of Control and Release
Stylist Yagmur Kural constructs a visual dialogue between restraint and surrender. The garments evoke both structure and dissolution, their textures mirroring the tension between concealment and revelation.
Under the creative direction of John Yonatan Jacoby, the editorial balances conceptual purity with sensual realism — a delicate tension where emotion and design coexist.
A Metaphor for Revelation and Renewal
Peel off the self is ultimately a reflection on revelation. To wash, to strip, to cleanse — Özel transforms these everyday gestures into metaphors for self-examination. In an age of constant projection, the work insists on intimacy; in a world of surfaces, it asks what remains when all that is external has been washed away.
About the Photographer — Osman Özel
Osman Özel is a Turkish-born photographer and director based in Berlin. His work moves fluidly between fashion, art, and moving image, exploring the intersections of body, materiality, and perception.
Known for his minimalist compositions and sensitivity to light, Özel’s imagery investigates the tension between presence and absence, intimacy and distance.
He has collaborated with publications including DAZED and Lampoon, and is represented by Shotview Photographers Management. Through both his editorial and artistic projects, Özel continues to challenge the boundaries of image-making — revealing, rather than constructing, what it means to be seen.
TEAM CREDITS: photography Osman Özel, styling Yagmur Kural, creative direction John Yonatan Jacoby, grooming Eva Kolomiets, set design Sandro De Mauro, casting direction Olga Sikorska, producer Austin Huq, production KlosterBerlin, photography assistant Alex Dyak, styling assistant Selçukhan Çalikoğlu, thanks to Shotview Artists Management and Nico Gambino
