The name Exterface has become synonymous with delicious homoerotic photography that exposes and strips the model both physically and emotionally. Underneath the polished exterior and the vivid colors, French artists Julien and Stéphane tell their stories with a cinematic approach that reveals hidden mysteries and twisted fantasies. It’s this juxtaposition of beauty and indecency that creates the unique world of Exterface. Homotography brings you an exclusive interview with the guys of Exterface and a look at their sexually-charged fantasy world. Sit back and enjoy the ride.
Homotography: The work of Exterface is loved and anticipated by a huge following. Please give us an insight into how this partnership between Julien and Stéphane came about and how the dynamics of this partnership works creatively in the work of Exterface.
Exterface: We met each other 7 years ago... We first studied the art of communication together in Paris. We worked (and still do) as graphic designers for big French companies and institutions, which taught us a lot on the use of types, colors, photography and also a kind of rigor in our work. We did some modeling and it slowly gave us the need and envy to experiment by ourselves. At the beginning, we used to shoot each other and friends, published our pictures on the community site Flickr. We then created our own website, our "oniric playground"! :p
We're directing all our sets together. Story, style, lights, design... everything! We're like two guys in one! We agree on most things and all the doubts or questions find their resolution with the other. That way, work is fast and delightful! :)
Homotography : There is an increasing trend these days of photographers shooting a short film that compliments and accompanies their photoshoot. Do you consider shooting such short films or is your vision communicated purely through images?
Exterface: As admirers of photographers like Steven Klein, François Rousseau, artist like Matthew Barney, we really like this idea of short films attached to photoshoot... It gives an other dimension to a projet, as if you were part of it, coming closer to the subject... We kind of work like this in our pictorials, we imagine them as movie stills and the way pictures are displayed on our pages tells a lot about this ;)
We'd like to do this, we're exploring, trying... Once we're proud and happy about it, we'll share it, of course!!!
Homotography: Even though your series ‘Bis-Sextilis’ with Geraud and Iwanto is one of your earlier works according to your archive, it garnered very positive reactions when Homotography featured it recently. Can you tell us more about this series, what it means to you, and how it happened?
Exterface: Bis-Sextilis was indeed one of the very first pictorial we made. It has a lot of publications in the press, even today, which is amazing! This shoot happened really naturally and nicely, Geraud was in Paris for a few days, we had a drink and did it in the night...
Those pictures were really particular and good for us at that time, because this was what we wanted to explore in our work. We loved shooting a relationship, an intimacy, setting a surreal atmosphere... The color language, the softness and the sexiness of the whole thing... This is really what Exterface is all about : dream, sexiness, intimacy.
Homotography: Exterface is known for the vivid colors style, what do you feel about using black and white photography?
Exterface : We love colors. Colors have a meaning, they are a language. With colors you can creat an atmosphere, emphasize an emotion,... Sensuality, as a huge part in our work, really needs colors to live. We used a couple of times black and white, but this was for particular reasons, we wanted something colder, we needed to have a distance with the subject. Black and white is much stronger, austere, it's a language in itself in a way... So we like it for that! But be prepared to see more black and white with Exterface in the future!
Homotography: What we love about your work is its cinematic nature. Each series tells a story, more like a movie. Do you prepare a detailed ‘script’ or ‘story board’ for all the shots and sequences before the shoot, or do you just have a basic idea and then you let it flow during the shoot?
Exterface: Actually it's a mix of all that. We have the idea, we know what we want to express, we always have references & poses in minds... But we really like to create something with the model, let him/her feel it and give his/her personality into the project, which is much deeper and more interesting. Everything can happen during one of our shoot, we're here to catch it all!
Homotography: The characters in your sets are always engaging, even when they are twisted. What do you look for in your models?
Exterface: Strong face, powerful body, deep personality and sexy attitude. (if you feel fine with this description, don't hesitate to contact us at casting@exterface.com)
Homotography: More & more fashion designers & photographers are stepping in front of the camera. Will we see Julien and Stéphane as models. Both separately or as a duo?
Exterface: We did it in the early times of Exterface, we also did it for friends, but this is different now. We are far more interested in searching for the perfect model, rather than focusing on ourselves. Being photographers with the obsession to control everything is already a big business! Maybe in the future, we'll have a different opinion on it, we never know ;)
Homotography: Finally, what projects can the fans of Exterface expect to see in the rest of 2009?
Exterface: More and more pictorials, in the press, on the net,... Creating rendez-vous along the year with people is really nice... We love the fact that our website is not only a portfolio of our work so far but a living space, with always new stuff to share! Fans can expect a big surprise for the end of the year! And also great collaborations with people we admire... Stay tuned!!!
Exterface: To finish, we'd like to thank Homotography for this nice interview, we love your website! All the best for the future. Love, Exterface.
Homotography thanks Exterface for the interview and for sharing their beautiful art with us. Make sure to visit and bookmark their site Exterface.com. You can see their previous features here and read more Homotography exclusive interviews here.
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