Anni Jurgenson Shocks in ‘Bubble Wrap Princess’ by Greta Ilieva for Please Magazine

Posted Oct 08, 2012

Art is meant to disturb.  And in the spirit of non-conformity, Greta Ilieva pushes back against the stereotype of beauty in, ‘Bubble Wrap Princess,’ for the October issue of Please Magazine.  Anni Jurgenson models a cornucopia of Fall’s quirkiest attire, complete with trash-bag accessories and a dramatic, prosthetic head-growth.  Pulling us out of our fashion coma, we are forced to go to extremes and experience an authentic reaction, free from the inoculation of popular culture.   Shock-value chic inspires a momentary revival of our creative senses, exposing the counterfeit nature of many so called ‘Avant-Garde’ editorials.

This bold layout reminds us that it’s the duty of art to push the limits of propriety.  When being provocative becomes synonymous with being commercial, we must pause and redefine the intention of fashion art.  The mass diluting of anything takes away from it’s purity.  And if we wish to keep the integrity of this art form, them we must value those who take risks.  In this stunning pictorial I see the vision of a spirited fighter. Someone putting their talent behind a real statement, and that may be what’s missing this season. Conceptual pieces, like these, willing to go out on a limb and scream their point of view – impervious to any backlash.

I find these images oddly uplifting.  By taking a product that is inherently both innocuous and dangerous, Please Magazine speaks to the chaos of modern existence.  Household products used to highlight the universal silencing of women, and plastic being the ultimate form of verbal suffocation.  Trapped under the tools of domesticity, this story seems to ask the question, ‘what is the cost of being the perfect female?’  At it’s surface we are only to notice the juxtaposition of high fashion & low life.  Not an uncommon theme in many of today’s style stories, by throwing two opposing worlds together, you’re sure to make a splash.

However, upon closer inspection many of those creative endeavors fall short of saying anything meaningful. They’re all style and no substance.  And that becomes our challenge.  I will always fight to see beyond the glossy finish, because I believe in the power of print photography.  I spent years in front of a camera being told to tone down the ‘editorial-edge’ and be more commercial.  And while I may have moved from in-front of the camera to behind a key-board, I will never tone down anything again.  Greta Ilieva forces us to acknowledge the ugly side of pretty, and that is a poignant and potent message.  Source (FGR).