The Agony and the Ecstacy

Bitch! Paris, Ellen Von Unwerth 2007

I have a couple of things to share this week; Firstly Ellen Von Unwerth, who I featured in a post a few weeks back is now exhibiting in London with a show called 'Fraulein'. The model turned photographer has been creating provocative sexually charged images for 15 years and this show highlights some of her favourite pieces from over that time. I wish I could see the work while it's up!

Ellen Von Unwerth's 'Fraulein'
Michael Hoppen Gallery London
Until 28th November 2009

Secondly and somewhat bizzarely I noticed a strange mix of religious iconography and sensuality this morning; My studio is situated opposite Salford Cathedral where the relics of St Therese of Lisieux were recently displayed as part of their journey to religious sites around the world.

I've always meant to pop into the cathedral as it is very impressive from the outside and I like visiting old churches etc as I like the architecture and atmosphere. The Cathedral still has lots of images of St Therese including banners, one of which had this image and tagline printed on it:

I do not regret having surrendered myself to Love

It struck me that this was an interesting choice of words to put with a picture that showed a woman who looks like she could be;
A. in religious rapture
B. in sensual rapture
C. asleep
D. dead.
There are so many layers of meaning between the image and the text. It really made me think about how interpretations of spirituality and sensuality have been mixed together over time, almost as if they could be one and the same? (incidentally, she is dead in this photo! but I didn't know that until I looked it up) Here are some other examples of classic sensual religious iconography:

The ecstasy of St Teresa by Bernini 1647 -52

'Ecstase', Pierre and Gilles 2002

For an interesting article about Pierre and Gilles click HERE.

Another way of exploring the link would be to see what happens when you place the words spoken by St Therese alongside other equally evocative images:

I do not regret having surrendered myself to Love

Which kind of brings me back to the image by Ellen Von Unwerth which you can see at the top of the post...

French kisses xxx

A couple of days ago I rediscoverd the French pop duo 'Air' in my album collection. I put on 'Moon Safari' while I was working in the studio trying to get my head around the drawing for my next sailor tattoo inspired pin up painting, and something just clicked! The tone of the music, it's sultry melancholy sounds, the disco edge mixed with the breathy pop; something just made complete sense with regard to my work!

It's hard to explain, so with that in mind, I thought I'd share a few of my other inspirations which are all being stirred in the melting pot to create the images for my new work:

Pierre and Gilles
These French artists have been a favourite of mine for a long time. Once you've seen one of their magical photos you'll never forget them. Their brand of glamour and iconography is the perfect blend for erotic images of saliors goddesses and fairies.

Oh, and nuns, as you can see here. This image of Kylie Minogue is just one of many celebrity portraits they have produced since the 70's. I love Pierre and Giles work because you can see the work that has gone into every photograph. They don't use computer effects to create the fantastical landscapes and props. Everything is sourced and painted. Even the photos once taken are then painted over which adds to the magical otherworldy quality.

In more recent years the duo have embraced digital technology, which brings me onto my next inspiration; the tour programme for Kylie's X tour 2008.

I knew as soon as I bought it that P&G had something to do with this lush art book. I couldn't find them acknowledged anywhere but my thoughts were confirmed with a little digging on the internet.
The sacred heart motif is a trademark of theirs and here it has been put to beautiful use. The tour and programme also feature heavily homo erotic images of the backing dancers dressed as buff sailors;



The overall link that ties all these subjects together for me is the glamorous and sexy iconic images and narrative which have an underlying hint of drama. Even the music by Air has the same ambience and conjures up the same stories in my head. All these things combined with the sailor tattoo are pushing my work in a glorious melancholy direction. I'm loving putting these ideas down on paper!