"Montana"

Diptych #V.II

gelatin silver print mounted on alu board

titled, dated and signed (engraved) and label on canvas verso

The photographs are of young children whom Ms. von Zwehl invites to her studio to take their own pictures. Dressed in identical black pants and little tank tops, they perch or stand on a small table, assume any pose or expression they want and squeeze the shutter.
Ms. von Zwehl then arranges the images in related pairs, according, it seems, to age, pose, appearance, emotional pitch and expression. Some close their eyes calmly; others grimace violently as if being shot; others just gaze intently into the lens. Two preschool girls, both standing, turn toward the camera with seductive shyness, while two older girls, one blond (and in a lotus position), the other brunette, muster the regalness of little princesses.
In other words, the images are wonderful, if a bit like Gap ads, and the juxtapositions sensitive. But they also seem too entirely dependent on the utterly irresistible emotional transparency of children and avoid the unexpected depths of the artist's previous work.
(Roberta Smith, 2000, http://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/15/arts/art-in-review-bettina-von-zwehl.html)