The body remembers. Everything.

Dripped in sweat and spray tan, you breathe in and slowly breathe out. You negotiate between pain and pleasure to train, reshape, and perform your flesh.
The feminine becomes masculine and vice versa; the societal roles of appearance no longer matter because you're high on endorphines.

You become what you have always wanted, and you
endure and surprise your own limits. There is a strange sexiness to being drenched and feeling those drops falling on your ripped abs. Exercise is a release
of emotions, of accumulated rage, of pride in how far you have come, and there is always a way to push it even more.

The series is a study of the body set within the world of bodybuilding. It reflects on the relationship between discipline and pleasure, questioning traditional notions of masculinity and femininity through the act of reshaping one's own flesh. The project is interested in the strange eroticism of physical endurance, the sweat, pride, exhaustion, and liberation that emerge when we push our bodies beyond their perceived limits.

Linda Zhengova is a Czech-Chinese photographer, curator, and writer currently based in Paris. Her work delves into the themes of representation, sexuality, and trauma, using photography to challenge societal boundaries and taboos. Zhengova's images, often spontaneous and personal, capture her romantic and friendly encounters with strangers and fleeting moments of pure happiness. Her erotic imagery, evocative of a bygone era, suggests that memory is the space where love most vividly resides. By confronting viewers with moments of vulnerability and intimacy, her work invites a deep reflection on the intensity of human relationships. Through this, Zhengová challenges us to reconsider how we connect with both ourselves and others, offering a delicate balance between discomfort and empathy.

PHOTOGRAPHER: @LINDAZHENGOVA
CREATIVE DIRECTION & STYLING: @MAFERAGUINAGA
ART DIRECTION & PRODUCER: @LINEARECTA
MAKEUP ARTIST: @GATA.ILUSION
HAIRSTYLIST: @_EMMANUELLEHAIR
TALENT: @KAROLINAWIDECKA
ASSISTANT 1: @GIULIA.GABURRO
ASSISTANT 2: @GGOMEZSTUDIO