Inspiration

Subvert

Peter Devito

I have seen Peter Devito's work a lot over the years on platforms like Pinterest and Instagram but I never really looked into his work before or who he is. The images on the left are the images that drew me to Devito's work as I found it very empowering that he allows people to own their narrative and insecurities. He fights against stereotypical beauty standards which most people in the spotlight always fall victim too. Devito used the phrase "Im so fucking sick and tired of the Photoshop" and placed it onto someone's cheek who has acne- which is considered a "flaw". This is very thought provoking message as it makes you think of what images would, or should, look like without the Photoshop. It makes me think of the misrepresentation of models on magazines and on social media like Instagram. For example, how the editors remove all blemishes (which in my opinion is what makes a person unique) and how the typically slim down the waist. This type of editing reminds me of an essay I wrote which discussed whether this type of misrepresentation on social media can cause mental illnesses like depression and eating disorders- in the end I concluded that being shown this type of media continuously can contribute to those mental illnesses and others. I think that Devito was trying to presented that idea of how dangerous Photoshop can be on the consumers and how it can affect people- especially the younger generations.

Devito's work is very relevant to issues which affect society now- for example the Black Lives Matter movement. He uses the same idea but adapted it so that it fit the issue at hand. I find artists which can relate their work to real life problems very inspiring as they use their work to help spread awareness and hopefully help out the movement.

While looking at Devito's website, another photoshoot he did caught my eye. My favourite image from that photoshoot is the one to the right. It is supposed to represent how women are often told to be seen not heard (which is the idea of the ball gag). If you look more at the ball gag you soon realise that it is made from a Barbie doll head and a measuring tape. This represents how women are expected to not only be quite but also be perfect and beautiful. Devito used the phrase "sit still and look pretty".

In Devito's photoshoot description he wrote:

"This ball gag symbolizes how society views women as objects and we NEED to change that. Things like these are part of the reason why women don't come forward when they are harassed, assaulted, or raped."

Devito's words and images together are very very powerful and inspiring as he tackles real-life issues face on without

beating around the bush no matter how taboo the situation might be. He tackles issues which are commonly known but never really addressed like the ball gag on women.

I want to be able to portray big issues like this in a way which highlights the issue rather than promote it like Devito does- he is one of my biggest inspirations now. He subverts the idea that everyone should be perfect and follow the expectations of society, especially around women and feminism.

John Stezaker

John Stezaker is a famous "photomontager" who typically layers two images on top of each other- usually over the faces of people. Not many people can put two images together successfully like Stezaker can- the images he chooses to put together almost seem like they belong together and the photograph was taken that way. I find it really interesting how he matches up nature landscapes to a portrait- and matches to make it look natural. For example the first image on the left- where the two cliff-sides correlate with the two peoples heads. He subverts the idea of a perfect portrait and how the face should be the main focal point of a portrait. I am also drawn the the bottom image on the left- the one where he has put an image of a scull over a portrait of a man- it gives off a sombre atmosphere even though the man underneath is smiling as it hold undertones of death.

In my opinion, I think that this image is meant to symbolise how death is always with us and we are oblivious which is why the man is smiling. Or the idea that death is just around the corner. It is unclear whether Stezaker purposely chooses the images to overlap in the idea of portraying a deep message or wether that he just choose images which complemented each other.

Stezakers simple composition is quite satisfying but can also be unusual- like the image in the middle, which is a mix of a mans face and a woman's. This makes me think about what is considered feminine and what is considered masculine and whether things should be limited to your gender. This can be a very controversial topic as shown when Harry Styles wore a dress for a magazine shoot which is supposed to be considered as feminine and there were a lot of complaints and backlash. This is an issue in today's society as why should people be limited to certain things which is expected from them due to their gender? Why can't everybody just do what they want to do? I don't think Stezaker's plan when creating this piece was to make a stand against gender norms and what is considered feminine and masculine, maybe he just wanted to create a contrast between the mans face and the woman's- however, due to recent issues in today's society (like the backlash of Harry Styles wearing a dress) it makes me think about the taboo nature of going against gender norms.

Brooke Didonato

Brooke Didonato's work is very interesting and unique. I find these images oddly satisfying, this could be due to the pastel colour scheme of some of the images and how the majority of the images follow the rules of thirds.

Didonato subverts the everyday in very unusual way which I find very successful. The composition is simple yet very effective in portraying this subversion.

My favourite image is the one where the sitter is on the purple chair with the pillows on top of her- she has reversed roles with the chair. This could be considered quite humorous as it does look odd! The one where the sitter is rolled up in the mat is also quite humorous.

Didonato's work has inspired most of my projects for subvert- the strange nature of these images is very appealing to me and has helped me come up with my own strange subversions!