Candyland is a photographic series exploring the world of adult film actresses through collaborative portraiture. Created between 2020 and 2023, the project expands Elizabeth Waterman’s ongoing investigation into sexuality, performance, and labor within the adult entertainment industry.
While earlier projects such as MONEYGAME examined the culture of strip clubs and erotic performance on stage, Candyland turns toward performers working within the adult film industry. Photographed primarily on analog film in vibrant Southern California locations, the images embrace saturated color, playful staging, and theatrical styling that reflect the fantasy-driven aesthetics of pornography.
Developed in close collaboration with the actresses themselves, the portraits foreground agency, humor, and self-presentation rather than voyeurism. By placing performers within highly stylized environments, Candyland explores how erotic identities are constructed, performed, and controlled by the women who inhabit them.
The series was published as the monograph Candyland (Unicorn Publishing, 2024) with a foreword by Stormy Daniels.
