Photographer, artist and art director: Giulia Zaniol
Model: Tia Juliet Meddins
MUA: Jenny Morrell
Special thanks to Roberto Aguilar and Joaquim Barreto
Polaroids model: Giada Combusti
Brand Art Sensation and Zaniol Ltd are devoted to art and cultural critique. The aim of this project is to highlight the commodification tendency of some contemporary artworks and the brand stretching principles that some galleries and artists have applied and borrowed from luxury goods marketing startegies.
Zaniol discusses here a global art market phenomenon through parody and an artistic study (any reference to contemporary artists is her own immaginative interpretation). Tracey Emin has not endorsed, approved or vetted this logo which is an original design by Giulia Zaniol (2015) or any part of Brand Art Sensation which is published by Zaniol ltd. a limited company devoted to art, education and design.
Artist Commentary:
This image, to be on brand, should have had the artist herself here. However, as this is a parody, it would have made it too realistic. I therefore started by taking Polaroids with Joaquim Barreto, that would reference the artist's early self-portraits photos, so that we would have original images. The main shooting, was then organised few weeks later, in the house of my neigbour.
I researched that even after so many years, the second most famous thing about Tracey Emin, after herself, is her artwork "My Bed" (1998). I therefore decided that a bedroom would have been my setting. I used a red light to reference the neons and also to give an image a sensual feel. I brought to the setting anything I could find that could look luxurious, including a fear coat and silk looking fabric sheets. I wanted to revisise the artist's style but add a sense of opulance which is my original interpretation. I knew that if I had a luxurious bed setting, no one would have associated it with Emin's work. I therefore added few vague clues: a voluptuouss model wearing black lingerie, some polaroids and the red/blue lighting. Than, I asked the model to show me her confidence with a smirk. This was the last clue that I was in search for.
Professor John Armitage has contributed with the article that was inspired by this image: "The Voluptuous Self", 2015.
Armitage evaluates the emergence of the voluptuous artist and personalities, such as Tracey Emin in contemporary art practice, and how their self-advertisement have interwoven fine art and fashion branding. (Go to Essays)
