Karma Karma Chameleons
Exhibitions:
Biro Kaji Visual George Town
2019 Nov (George Town, MY)
Chiang Mai Photo Festival
2015 Mar, Chiang Mai University (Chiang Mai, TH)
Curated by Zhuang Wubin
Karma Karma Chameleons
Set of 12 Ilford Gallerie metallic gloss photographic print, 11.9 x 17.4 cm each, 2019
Biro Kaji Visual George Town
2019 Nov (George Town, MY)
Chiang Mai Photo Festival
2015 Mar, Chiang Mai University (Chiang Mai, TH)
Curated by Zhuang Wubin
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Karma Karma Chameleons
Set of 12 Ilford Gallerie metallic gloss photographic print, 11.9 x 17.4 cm each, 2019
‘Karma Karma Chameleons’ is a series of found photographs of female nightclub entertainers of the 80s who sported perm hairstyles, wore flamboyant costumes covered in feathers and sequins. These prints were later digitised and restored with the subjects’ facial features obscured.
Together they provide a glimpse into the glamour portrait practice of the time. They were often shot from a levelled and head-on angle; the sitter would appear demure or, occasionally, in more engaging poses. The subjects drew reference from pop idols from Hong Kong, Taiwan or the West then created their own appropriated versions of the archetypal beauty.
This project looks at how photography (both studio techniques and the physical prints) was used as a self-promotional tool or as an extension of self-representation in the form of idol cards or 'fan photos'. I am interested in the hierarchy of taste setting and the volatile notion of beauty in both mainstream and subculture; how these antithetical yet symbiotic relationships hinge on one another to sustain themselves.
Together they provide a glimpse into the glamour portrait practice of the time. They were often shot from a levelled and head-on angle; the sitter would appear demure or, occasionally, in more engaging poses. The subjects drew reference from pop idols from Hong Kong, Taiwan or the West then created their own appropriated versions of the archetypal beauty.
This project looks at how photography (both studio techniques and the physical prints) was used as a self-promotional tool or as an extension of self-representation in the form of idol cards or 'fan photos'. I am interested in the hierarchy of taste setting and the volatile notion of beauty in both mainstream and subculture; how these antithetical yet symbiotic relationships hinge on one another to sustain themselves.