Embracing female tattoo culture
Photographer Samantha Fortenberry has created a series of photographs titled Suds and Smiles to encapsulate the joy of bath time. The collection explores the relationship between people and objects with vibrant colours, kitsch accessories and humorous staging.
Samantha also introduces ideas of body positivity and gender equality, as she shoots both male and female nudes, all exuding a beautiful confidence.
Magnificent Obsessions: The Artist as Collector at the Barbican presents the fascinating personal collections of post-war and contemporary artists. Ranging from mass-produced memorabilia and popular collectibles to one-of-a-kind curiosities, rare artefacts and specimens.
The collections provide insight into the inspirations, influences and obsessions of artists, including tattoo artist Dr Lakra from Mexico – whose collection includes brightly coloured album covers from his record collection – and the renowned, and sometimes controversial, Damien Hirst – whose collection consists of human skulls and taxidermy.
While some artists are connoisseurs, others accumulate hoards of objects, never letting anything go. Many make direct use of their collections and others keep them under wraps or in storage. Collecting objects for research and study is key to the practice of many artists in the exhibition. Presented alongside examples of their work, their collections help to elucidate their art.
A highlight for us is discovering that pop art king Andy Warhol is as big a fan of kitsch as we are…
If you love quirky collections and finding out more about the artists’ creative process, this exhibition is for you. It runs at the Barbican in London from 12 February 2015 – 25 May 2015, more info at www.barbican.org.uk
Photos from Huffington Post
This Is My Body is a series created by self-taught Paris born artist Mårwåne Pallas. The composed self portraits hauntingly explore physical anatomy and the damaging ways we manipulate the human body. The collection also looks at ideas of sexuality and physical status connected with the Bible.
In The Flesh
The Making of Eve
My Body is a Temple
This Is My Blood
Tim Walker creates beautiful photographs with extravagant staging and romantic motifs. His work has adorned the pages of Vogue for over ten years and The National Portrait Gallery homes a stunning collection. We’ve picked a few of our favourites from his online archive, which ones do you love?
Lily Cole, Northumberland, Italian Vogue, June 2005
Malgosia Bela, Essex, Harper’s Bazaar, October 2009
Laura McCone & Luke Field Wright, Suffolk, Italian Vogue, September 2010
Pastel Cats, Northumberland, Italian Vogue, November 2000
Lindsey Wixson, Northumberland, Italian Vogue, January 2012
The Swedish artist, Linnéa Sjöberg has been turning DIY tattoos into performance art after a year of travelling around Europe taking photographs of herself and her friends tattooing themselves. The year long project has now culminated in a book called Salong Flyttkartong with the message ‘Act Before Thinking’ where she wants to cultivate irrational chaotic thinking, “that’s the energy in the project, kind of counter-productive. It’s two opposites: act before thinking but it’s going to stay with you for the rest of your life. People need to take a stand point: some people are like, “Yeah, go ahead,” and some back off and don’t want to hear about it, they are so frightened of this idea.”
A somewhat controversial subject and now what some may seem as ‘trendy’ are homemade tattoos but Linnéa delves into the psychology of tattooing yourself and why taking control of your own body is the most powerful tool we have. One of her most powerful tattoos was of the markings a plastic surgeon made on her breasts before having a boob job, “I booked a time at a plastic surgery clinic in Manhattan and asked the doctor to draw the lines that he would follow during a breast enlargement. With those lines I went home and tattooed them in front of the mirror, by myself.”
Linnéa’s book Salong Flyttkartong can be purchased here and she is also exhibiting at the Gallery Steinsland Berliner in Stockholm. More information about her work can be found on her website