Paul Blanca, born as Paul Vlaswinkel, is a Dutch photographer who became known in the 1980s for his controversial and violent photos. Blanca does not shy away from confrontation, he mutilates himself with razors and arrows, portrays heroin prostitutes in their moment of surrender and deforms bodies with wires. In New York he was accompanied by Robert Mapplethorpe, who called the still young photographer his "only real competitor."   

 

Despite the averse subjects, Paul Blanca manages to capture the moment in an aesthetic way. His photos make the viewer think about what beauty is.