Weird Beauty

Paolo Roversi, Blue Mask, Paris 2007, Another Magazine

Weird Beauty: Fashion Photography Now, currently on view through May at the International Center of Photography, offers a dizzying crash-course on contemporary fashion photography - and an unrelentingly barrage to the eye and the senses. Divided into fourteen sections, the exhibit is presented in a floor-to-ceiling format of mounted, unframed prints and magazine tearsheets from well-known fashion magazines, as well as more obscure foreign publications. Offering up a visual overload of photographic candy, the sections are more a hodgepodge of images rather than a cohesive representation of distinct stories or subthemes. Given the limited amount of exhibition space, some prints were mounted near the top of the walls making for many a sore neck - and making it very difficult to make out the images properly. Although the curatorial decisions were questionable, it presents a tantalizing glimpse into the changing medium of fashion photography as it own genre, distinct from the separate entities of fashion and photography but also the product of the merging of the two influences.

Historically, modern fashion and art has always applauded the weird, which would encompass not the conventional acceptance of beauty, but alternative views of it: the eccentric, the avant-garde, the quirky, the awkward, the slightly off-beat and off-center world that turns to underground influences of music, art, politics and discourse. Some images in the exhibition did not appear to fit within the realm of weird beauty, such as the commercial Victoria and David Beckham spread, Steven Meisel’s pretty pastel makeup editorial or the tame In the Bedroom series that showed women in undergarments posing provocatively on a bed, displaying a detached boredom that is already commonplace in fashion photography. Richard Prince's magazine cover collaboration with W in November 2007 also seemed out of place in the exhibit. The All The Best series were ten unique “signed” covers, featuring paparazzi shots of celebrities who have been the subject of much gossip magazine fodder, such as Katie Holmes, Madonna, Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and Angelina Jolie, the last of which was included in the show. More a commentary on the attempt to reconcile high art and popular culture, as well as a criticism of the commercialization of art and fashion, it does not seem to work well within the show’s theme. Shifting between the commercial and the cutting-edge made for a disorienting experience, but it was a reminder that beauty is subjective and that the weird has penetrated the mainstream in fashion, as well as photography.




Miles Aldridge's Immaculee series

Despite the often confusing and apparently haphazard placement of the exhibition, it did offer some wonderful examples of the merging aesthetics of fashion and photography. The exhibit opens with a Karl Lagerfeld piece (Mademoiselle, 2008), which is a close-up portrait of (presumably) a courtesan. Her face is decorated with exaggerated pink cheeks, darkened eyebrows, and garish red lipstick hurriedly applied outside of the lip’s confines. The lace strap of her undergarment is pointedly visible beneath her blouse, suggestive of a state of undress and sexual availability. A tiara is placed upon her head, which is an indication of wealth, prestige and of the upper class – a life that this woman clearly does not lead. She lives on the outskirts of society, but there is an appealing, otherworldly quality to such outcasts that make them relatable in their differences.

In addition, if considered next to Miles Aldridge’s Immaculee photographic story (Numero, May 2007) shown later in the exhibit, which plays on art historical depictions of the Virgin Mary complete with a head piece, the “tiara” can also be understood as a halo. Lagerfeld’s head piece, however, appears almost garish next to the elaborate gold spiked headdress (perhaps even alluding to Christ’s crown of thorns) featured in Aldridge’s work. Aldridge’s use of matte, pale and minimal makeup gives the figures a waxy or plastic appearance, as if they were manufactured icons. These figures have tears on their faces or eyes directed upward, perhaps indicating the distress and grief of the Pieta. However, the vacant stares and strangely odd parted mouths of these women turn them into modern Virgin Marys with more of a story – and secrets - to tell. Both Lagerfeld and Aldridge focus on the face and not so much the clothing to be advertised, thereby depending on the potent content of the images to resonate with the viewer. The fashion presented appears secondary to the story and images, but this plays onto modern fashion photography’s artistic and often cheeky use of art and history to complement and elevate the garments to art itself.


Tim Walker's Alice Gibb and Olga Sherer, Sennowe Park, Norfolk, England, November 2007

The sense of otherworldliness continues with Tim Walker’s work, Alice Gibb and Olga Sherer, Sennowe Park, Norfolk, England (November 2007; shown above). The series is perhaps best characterized by an image of two impossibly tall, slim, long-limbed, unearthly figures standing on a platform like ancient Greek statues. The sparse white platform and background, and the pure white lighting intensify the allure of these unearthly figures. The one on the right dons a filmy, transparent white layered garment and stockings, with the sheerest hint of a female body beneath. The frothy, tulle pouf-like garment on the left that appears to glow from within coupled with the awkward twig-like effect of her unnaturally thin arms and legs, is a purely ethereal image of unattainable beauty. The forms do not even cast shadows on the floor, with the only suggestion of depth found in the folds of the garments and the shadows on their legs that only further delineate and emphasize their unnaturally long limbs. The figure on the left is propped up by posts at the leg and arm while the second figure is supported by the wall and a hand outstretched to the hip of her companion. Despite this suggestion of weight, their sheer attire and abundance of white in the shot lends a sense of unnatural weightlessness, which further makes these “women” even more unattainable.



Steven Klein's Le Goût des Robes, Vogue Paris

Steven Klein’s vibrant editorial, Le Goût des Robes, Vogue Paris (October 2007) pairs richly ornate patterned and beaded Versace and Dior gowns against the backdrop of an ordinary, conventional supermarket. Using a grocery store as a location with bored and wealthy housewives has been captured before, but Klein’s uncanny juxtapositions of color and pattern provides a rather striking play on the eye. In particular, one of the images features woman dressed in a royal blue Louis Vuitton patterned dress with a draped, beaded yoke and sleeves over pink floral tights. She is splayed out across a grocery shopping cart, her legs slightly parted in a suggestively sexual manner and placed next to a display of various neatly packaged meats, the parallel of woman as an object (or a piece of meat to be devoured) are unmistakable. The contrast of high class glamour and the women’s societal position (evident by the perfectly coiffed hair, carefully selected jewelry and expensive clothing) and the everyday market immediately tells us that this is not a part of our common reality. The figures’ unearthly paleness and disengaged gazes, as well as the high contrast manipulation of the photograph’s colors lend it an unnatural feel, further distancing the image from general norms. In addition, the first photograph shows two women entering the market against a backdrop of colorful bottled drinks, with the “Do Not Enter” sign at the sliding door just visible beyond them. This sign suggests that the women are above conventional behavior and thought. They are prone to disregarding rules, but do follow a subversive understanding of reality that is beyond the common individual. This detail may also be directed to the viewer, telling us that we as ordinary individuals are not allowed access into this exclusive world.


Cindy Sherman, Merci Cindy

Any fashion photography exhibit could not be considered complete without the addition of Cindy Sherman’s works. Featured in the show is Merci Cindy (Vogue Paris, August 2007) that shows Sherman in several guises, all middle-aged women in what can be assumed to be a nightclub or bar. The first image provides a jarring contrast of a short dark-haired woman, her advanced age feebly masked by smudged, overdone eyeliner, over-plucked eyebrows, and bright lipstick paired with dark lipliner, which all serve as reminders of her aging and fading beauty. The optic patterned dress and the neon fur collar of her patterned coat is fit for someone much younger, also signifying denial of her age. Another image features another with a bobbed haircut, complete with oversized, Peggy-Guggenheim-approved eyeglasses and yet another woman wearing a revealing patterned dress with perfectly done nails, her hand pointing to herself and her eyes directed at the viewer beseechingly. All of the images emphasize the defined creases around her lips and face that belie the use of makeup, which is inexpertly applied and caked-on, and appear a tad shade off. She appears available and eager to interact with others, but her attempts to revive her youth are much too obvious and sad to be welcoming to others. The addition of this spread provides a sympathetic look at the protagonist and shows a woman reclaiming her former youth as being beautiful. However, as this exhibition has shown, it is not the conventional image of beauty that we know, but the beauty found in art – the beauty of history, of outcasts and the depraved or emotionally unstable, and of that which is found outside of the confines of our own realities so that we may see ourselves within them. That is, a greater truth of what constitutes beauty.

The Power of the Protest

I wasn't aware of the volatile situation regarding the New School's president, Bob Kerrey, until I encountered what appeared to be a small army of uniformed officers last Friday on Fifth Avenue just outside of a university building, hefty shields up, batons restlessly shifting at their sides. Twenty-two students were arrested for assault, burglary and larceny following the protest and subsequent mild rioting, and all were released the following day.

I applaud my fellow New School/NYU students for using the power of Protest to ensure that their view is heard. I strongly feel that the Protest is a right that most Americans no longer seek as a valid means of expression. This may have to do with the earlier heyday of tension-fueled issues of racial and gender equality, Vietnam, etc., that prompted all protesters to be pigeon-holed as militant/violent, dangerous, socialist, perpetually on drugs and living on the fringes of "civil" society, and - god forbid - Anti-American. This is evident in the fact that many immediately dubbed the students as "terrorists." If there is ever a fearmongering, hot-button term today, this is the Big One that, when associated with it, can even make the most conservative politician run for refuge in the blue states. While protests are currently still prevalent here, the negative connotations with which they are linked prevent them from becoming accepted by the mainstream. Many Americans have become passive consumers of the news which is presented to us, often relying on conservative sources that are much too afraid of recriminations by a larger conglomerate that owns it with its equally-conservative financial backers. But the Protest is used often and in substantial numbers in other nations (i.e. Sarkozy’s controversial administration, particularly with far right pro-U.S. relations and labor disputes, although unions require an entirely new and exhausting entry).

The flood of student and police footage on the web since the incident presented contrasting views of unnecessary police brutality alongside peaceful interference. Authorities released a video of students who locked themselves within the building, cooperatively holding their arms behind themselves to be hand-cuffed, while the officers politely and calmly facilitated the arrests. The Jourdan video showed the use excessive use of pepper spray and force in pushing a protester to the ground, as well as force used by the police on what appeared to be an innocent passerby vocally expressing his support of the students. The contrasting accounts are not a surprise. Reading the divergent stories reminded me of Malcolm Gladwell's take on the Amadou Diallo incident in Blink. Briefly, he argues that the inability for the officers to thin-slice the situation led to the tragic encounter. If they had taken a moment to quickly assess that Diallo was terrified and not confrontational or considered he could have had difficulty expressing himself, instead of focusing on the expectations of their environment (a black man, found late at night in an area of the Bronx known to be violent) and the adrenaline set off by any stressful situation, this could have ended differently. Although 41 shots (a number that was repeatedly mentioned to claim that it was a malicious case of racial profiling) were fired by the four officers, this number is misleading and we must remember that a person can release multiple shots per second and the entire incident probably took place in mere seconds. Coupled with the adrenaline and strong sense of self preservation, many of us would have, unfortunately, acted in a similar manner. I am not removing all blame on the officers in either the Diallo case or this circumstance, but I can see how these interactions we see in these videos probably took place in seconds. They were split decision reactions to a seemingly threatening glance, a moving fist, a grunt, a misunderstood word or threat, etc. from either party. These clips may have been taken out of context, as well, so that we may never fully understand what precipitated these actions.

Nevertheless, I don't doubt that what may have been a pure act of civil disobedience lays the ultimate goal of gaining publicity and sympathy. Despite my not having participated in the protest, I do not doubt that some individuals (who may not have officially participated in the protest) probably did provoke the authorities, and vice versa (which Kerrey did not mention). In a time that the web is widely available and the power of the image is so significant in how our news is covered (and colored), a successful protest needs a dramatic visual accompaniment (Jeff Widener's Tiananmen Square photo; Nick Út's girl running from napalm attack; the Kent State aftermath; Lange's Migrant Mother). What do you think will be retained in the public's mind and heart? Police (which already is not highly regarded) protestations of wrongdoing alongside Kerrey's feeble letter to the Times yesterday, or the alarming reminder of a young man being violently pushed to the ground? Will the protests ultimately succeed in ousting Kerrey and Executive VP James Murtha? Perhaps. But for now, the victory lies in the power we as individuals possess to organize, to speak out and - dare I say it - to be American.