5 Clio Art Fair's artists that focus on the human body through their works
Happy Friday Art Lovers!
Here is for you a selection of pieces by 5 artists showcasing in the upcoming Clio Art Fair May edition. They all focus on the human body and make us reflect on it, capturing the essence of the human form in all its complexity, beauty, and vulnerability.
1. Elpinch, Victoire
Elpinch is an authentic contemporary artist with a unique vision of art that shines through each of his pieces. Thanks to his strong background in fashion and advertising photography, the artist has embarked on a series entitled Resurrection, which attempts to reclaim the aesthetics of the Renaissance combined with a Surrealist spirit. Set against a background where the model’s individuality fades until she becomes a generic and idealized representation, the female body becomes both sculptural and sensual in this piece.
By incorporating iconoclastic images in his female figures and even erotizing the Christian symbol of the Sacred Heart, the artist’s work is truly thought-provoking.
The female forms are merged into a modern fashion aesthetic then placed in unexpected spaces; the result is a hybrid aesthetic, where contemporary women’s bodies dialogue with the aesthetic of Renaissance and iconic symbols.
2. James Morton, Untitled VIII
"My work evolves from an interest in people and a basic need to capture an expression at a given moment. I use old photographs of people in everyday life and the people I see around me as subjects. Aiming to depict a vunerability or feeling melancholy, these paintings often take on an ethereal quality." - James Morton The artist’s words perfectly describe his work and his attention to the human figure. James Morton’s aim is to capture a persona at a specific moment in time, thus preserving the immediacy of that instant. Each face is characterized with its own distinctive physiognomy and become the playground for colors to spread across the canvas.
3. Sarika Gupta, Streetside, Raxaul
Sarika Gupta is a young doctor with a keen passion for the arts. Her medical interests center on women's and public health with a particular focus on improving health access in rural, remote and developing regions. Since 2010, Sarika has volunteered as a medic with various NGOs in India, Burma and Papua New Guinea where she has had access to people at their most vulnerable. Her experiences have helped her gain unique insight into their hardships but also into the fundamental elements of healing that are less emphasized by conventional Western practice. Sarika’s images vividly communicate the key elements of her experiences both as an observer as well as a medic; in doing so, they instill a distinct awareness in the viewer.
Her shots capture skinny bodies, struggling for life, in the midst of uneasy situations. Seeing them can move us or raise empathy, awareness or an uncomfortable feeling. But more importantly, they remind us how having a healthy body is a privilege.
4. Denise Cooperman, Unattached I & II & III
Denise Cooperman’s series of Mannequins make us reflect on the condition of the human body in contemporary society; standardized, fragmented and blind as the result of imposed standards of beauty.
Exactly like the mannequins, our bodies are also subject to the scrutiny and judgment of others. We are often evaluated based on our appearance, and our bodies are used to sell products, promote ideas and convey messages.
But unlike the mannequins, our bodies are living, breathing things, with emotions, thoughts and desires. We are not objects to be admired or criticized, but complex beings with unique stories and experiences.
The suspended, fragmented figures that populate Cooperman's pieces make us more aware of our bodies and how we should not compare them to what we see in the media.
5. Camilla Ancilotto, The Kinbaku Collection - Ékstasis
At a first glance, we only notice the human figure, tied upside down; but looking more closely, we notice how the athletic body merges with a reptile, fish and parrot. The human skin becomes feathered, scaly and zebra-like to remind us how similiar we are to animals in nature.
The metamorphic figures that take forms remind us that human beings aren't so different from our counterparts in nature.
The piece suggest that there could be a true harmony between humans and nature: using similar shapes, colors, forms and volumes, Camilla Ancilotto showes how we are all united in harmony.
However, this harmony will not exist forever if we don’t make more of an effort to perserve our planet. Sources: