Born in Ibiza in 1977, José Castellar Carayol developed early on a keen eye for light, beauty and people. He trained in analogue photography between his native island, Barcelona and Paris, and cultivated his deeply instinctive visual style. His world is characterised by night, fashion, black and white, and the encounters that have marked his life.

He draws inspiration from the glamorous lighting of the 1930s, and the subtle contrast between nature and artifice. His work explores identity, freedom, and the body’s genuineness, via an intimate and cinematic aesthetic.

The Galerie Obsession brings together, for the first time, José Castellar Carayol’s nude photographs around a common thread in his work: the Pigalle, Christian Louboutin's emblematic pump. More than a fashion object, this shoe is a true aesthetic obsession for the artist.

In this series, most of the models appear naked, enhanced merely by the Pigalle. The shoe provides balance between vulnerability and strength. The accessory is forgotten, the heel liberates, and the fear of nudity turns into strength. Stripped of artifice and social codes, the body is freed.

After collaborating with major names in photography and fashion in Paris, José Castellar Carayol today pursues his personal oeuvre, in which each image is a celebration of plurality, desire and human beauty.