Deutsch
English
"Photobook 'Beleza Americana' (engl.: American Beauty) is the result of a research whose objective is to discuss beauty and behaviour standards in the American society, from a Brazilian point view. The beach was the main location, a place where temporary spaces become the extension of one’s home, where each individual’s privacy and culture are revealed through the construction of these micro-spaces.
On the Southeastern coast of the USA, habits and belongings demand attention. A plasticity with a tendency to exaggeration, integrated to the normality of the individual’s life, is found during a simple day at the beach: Hair colours, long artificial nails, shiny lipsticks, extravagant outfits and wigs, defined muscles and saturated colours.
Observation and artistic practice inside this context lead the artist to reflect upon social aspects that encompass a recurring topic of contemporaneity: identity. In the scope of the individual, we have the portrait that shows how a set of accessories, hairdos, and posture gives a certain singularity to one’s personality.
However, by observing the whole and being mindful of roots and influences that helped shape the American identity, we can understand the captured images as echos of the power of a media that emphasizes an obsession for beauty and perfection. Once these ideals are translated in a controlled system, such as the Hollywood film or advertising industries, they utilize models and narratives that are mixed with History itself, creating the illusion that it is possible to live perfection. Yet, these same elements, when brought to real life, acquire a kitsch, common-place aspect, reminding us that we are human and, therefore, imperfect." (© Paula CLERMAN, 2016)
On the Southeastern coast of the USA, habits and belongings demand attention. A plasticity with a tendency to exaggeration, integrated to the normality of the individual’s life, is found during a simple day at the beach: Hair colours, long artificial nails, shiny lipsticks, extravagant outfits and wigs, defined muscles and saturated colours.
Observation and artistic practice inside this context lead the artist to reflect upon social aspects that encompass a recurring topic of contemporaneity: identity. In the scope of the individual, we have the portrait that shows how a set of accessories, hairdos, and posture gives a certain singularity to one’s personality.
However, by observing the whole and being mindful of roots and influences that helped shape the American identity, we can understand the captured images as echos of the power of a media that emphasizes an obsession for beauty and perfection. Once these ideals are translated in a controlled system, such as the Hollywood film or advertising industries, they utilize models and narratives that are mixed with History itself, creating the illusion that it is possible to live perfection. Yet, these same elements, when brought to real life, acquire a kitsch, common-place aspect, reminding us that we are human and, therefore, imperfect." (© Paula CLERMAN, 2016)
- Book design
- Walter COSTA
- Format
- Pb. (no dust jacket, as issued),