kiss her picture
Maria Couto is a Queer Brazilian immigrant and self-taught photographer in Chicago, Illinois. With special interests in Political Science and Gender & Women's Studies, she uses the visuals of photography as a medium for storytelling overarching themes of political issues in her pieces. Among her dearest works, "The Queer Desire Collection” seeks to authentically portray queer individuals in empowering them to reclaim their narratives. By adding the erotic into the visual narrative, Couto aims to redefine how we perceive and appreciate the beauty, complexity, and sensuality of queer lives: free from the constraints of traditional and limiting perspectives, such as the “male gaze.” Inspired by Audre Lorde, Couto's work is a celebration of self-expression, diversity, and the reclaiming of the erotic as a force for personal and collective empowerment in every aspect of our existence, including our work.
BY MARIA COUTO
“Our erotic knowledge empowers us, becomes a lens through which we scrutinize all aspects of our existence, forcing us to evaluate those aspects honestly in terms of their relative meaning within our lives. And this is a grave responsibility, projected from within each of us, not to settle for the convenient, the shoddy, the conventionally expected, nor the merely safe.”
- Audre Lorde
CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY
Maria's concert photography style is defined by bold colors, raw emotion, and strategic use of stage lighting. She has photographed shows and events by a variety of artists, such as Aidan Bisset, Monet X Change, Jady, Thiaguinho, Black Pistol Fire, Blade Rave, etc.
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the QUEER DESIRE COLLECTION
Divided into subsections that highlight different aspects of Queer Desire, the project emphasizes the capturing of queer essence without succumbing to the male gaze (a historically objectifying lens that often reduces subjects to stereotypes or sexual objects). Rather, this collection aims to depict queer individuals authentically, empowering them to reclaim their own narratives without outside input. By adding the erotic into the visual narrative, Couto redefines how we perceive and appreciate the beauty, complexity, and sensuality of queer lives — free from the constraints of traditional, limiting perspectives. Overall, this collection is a celebration of self-expression, diversity, and the reclaiming of the erotic as a force for personal and collective empowerment in every aspect of our existence, especially in our work.