The Marilyn Monroe Myth
Jing Zhao
This event has concluded
Dates:
Hours:
Entry Fee:
Free
Exhibition Event:
Official Opening
29/05/2014 6:00 pm
I am fascinated by the number of images made of Marilyn and how many of these have become iconic.
Most pictures of her were completely set up for posters and movie magazines. Marilyn didn’t want people to see photos of her without make-up, fashion clothes and a suitable expression. I believe this simple act of rejecting what was natural and choosing what she believed people wanted to see is an excellent metaphor for how she lived her life and of how the world currently engages with celebrities.
I thought about how I could comment on this global infatuation with glamour and felt that I could “rework” a selection of original Marilyn images. I would use the recognizable blond hair and makeup but photograph girls with different skin colors to indicate the universal interest in her life. I have used the concept of simulacrum to recreate four of Marilyn’s pictures.
Although my subject characters are naked, I did not shoot them to be idealized women. Rather, I have photographed their outlined plump and supple skin texture and curvaceous figures, the female body together with wrinkles and fat, striving to reveal the charismatic personality and the inner world of the characters who have this body.
So I think the significance of my work is a statement of the phenomenon ‘Artificial Creation’, which deals with issues in current entertainment circles, appealing to people to be their natural selves, not necessary to be packaging to pretend to be someone else, because the most profound beauty is always associated with authenticity. Moreover, I hope to represent a remarkable artistic temperament and narcissistic space by connecting the portrait and the nude body pictures.
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