Deborah Paauwe’s close-up photographs of young girls subtly combine delicacy and toughness.

First impressions of sweetness and innocence are soon dispelled by the awkwardness of the girls’ poses and their sometimes suggestive gestures.

The almost imperceptible cuts, bruises and scratches on their bodies hint at violation. Erotic tension is further tightened by the close cropping of the images, as if to concentrate our attention on incidentals at the expense of the whole.

Deborah Paauwe arrived in Adelaide from the United States in 1985, and has since established an impressive reputation as an artist, with solo exhibitions in most capital cities and in Spain.

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Deborah Paauwe’s CV