Chloe Aristotelous

This project explores the culture surrounding martial arts, particularly the language often associated with it - discipline, resilience, control, and mental strength.

However, rather than photographing action, I became increasingly interested in moments of physical exhaustion and emotional vulnerability.

Through close-up portraits of fighters, the work focuses on expressions of fatigue, pain, and emotional exposure, where performances of strength can begin to unravel.

These photographs explore sensations that feel harder to define - relief, detachment, uncertainty, and fragility - revealing what exists behind the spectacle of combat.