This photograph captures the psychological threshold between self and role—a model in solitary contemplation moments before stepping onto the 2005 Alexander McQueen catwalk where individual identity dissolves into designed spectacle. Sukan's lens finds the figure in unguarded stillness, preserving the last moments of personhood before transformation into what he terms "actors of consumerism or objects of art." The composition speaks to fashion photography's documentary tradition while subverting it; rather than capturing the intended theatrical finale, Sukan redirects attention to the liminal space where preparation becomes meditation, where vulnerability precedes performance. This theft of pre-performance moments creates alternate narrative to fashion's official record, one that privileges human presence over designer vision. Working for publications like L'Uomo Vogue and Muse Magazine granted Sukan backstage access, positioning him as insider documenting insiders, yet his photographic choices resist fashion journalism's typical energy and spectacle in favor of introspective quietude.
 
Sükan created the series as he was working for international magazines such as L'Uomo Vogue (Italy), A Magazine (France), Crash (France), Faces (Switzerland), and Muse Magazine (Italy) between 2004-2008. He captures the tension and the individuality that remain present at backstages before the models enter the catwalk where they lose their individuality becoming actors of consumerism or objects of art. Sükan momentarily steals these figures - who are preparing for other roles to create his own dialogue and mise-en-scène right before they appear on the actual stage.
Discover this captivating photography that seamlessly combines elements of fashion and figurative art, showcasing an innovative vision.
 
Acquire intimacy before spectacle through this Alexander McQueen backstage archive photography, capturing the charged stillness before transformation. In these moments, models remain suspended between individuality and performance—poised at the threshold of fashion’s theatrical metamorphosis. From The Prelude series, documenting international fashion weeks between 2004 and 2008.
Available at The Art Design Project, Miami Beach. Contact us to discover how this Alexander McQueen backstage archive photography can add conceptual depth and historical resonance to your fashion photography collection.