Anna Cleveland by Laura Marie Cieplik for Vogue Czechoslovakia, November 2018

Anna Cleveland hides in plain site by Laura Marie Cieplik for Vogue Czechoslovakia, November 2018. In the mourning mist of someday’s song lives a quiet girl that sings along, to the sky that cries o’re her cheek and the sun that kisses her skin so sweet. Traveling forth on her sojourn home she remembers that rain the weeps so forlorn. Oh bare upon thine soul I say ~ for this is the time today is the today. I will wake with a wondering eye to place upon the world I’ll spy, making my journey a path of play as I wander to the further way. Baring her body Anna flourishes in the tranquil gardens of gorgeous. In the sanguine heart of love gone wild lives a valiant spirit named Tomorrow’s Child. Borrow from you your iron will as I honor the Spirits of She who settled us here.

Captured in an exquisite garden setting, Cieplik uses atmospheric perspective to give us a grand view of the surroundings. In the distance there’s rich greenery as far as the eye can see. Standing next to a figure sculpted in raw stone, Cleveland is but human all flesh and mere bone. The comparative beauty is becoming. The softness of her skin plays against the hardness of the sculpted surface. Carved from a monolithic piece of marble, we get an up-close view as she leans against the chiseled mold. Yumiko Hikage celebrates the artistry of transformation, with wigs that take costumed coiffure to another level. This is more than simply a dew change, It’s a shift in identity. Anna’s not merely hiding her hair, she’s exploring her hidden identities. Cloaked in a series of multi-colored coiffure, each dew theme takes a different view making everything old seem shiny and new.

Wearing a series of colorful wigs she hides in plain sight longing to discern wrong from right. Depicting a mystical creature we watch as art becomes a bold bedfellow. Makeup Artist, Lamia Bernad, uses the skin as a palate of play with glitter dancing over Anna’s eyes and down her cheeks. Subtly be gone as this story celebrates the virtues of discovery. Alba Melendo puts her in an exquisite orange vest done by John Galliano for Maison Margiela Artisinal. Infinitely excessive yer artfully complete. The nature of this piece comes in the compelling elements of both distinction and distraction. High fashion finds it’s footing with avant-garde looks that celebrate the splendor of style. The picture is compelling. Wearing a velvet coat lined in silk made to look like a soldier’s jacket, Anna stands with a fox’s face masking her private parts.

Looking like basalt that’s been polished to a satiny shine. Ancient artisans crafted natural rock, “often outlasting the culture’s that created them”. Anna leans against the statue letting the rawness seep in. The human arm is held up by the sculpted feature, a position that signals that, She is One She Is Me. Cleveland’s naked body may seem to many as an overt attention grabber. I see it as a depiction of feminine connection. Standing in the glory of gorgeous, we watch as a powerful connection is made. Her nude body becomes a portrayal of The Woman Warrior. A representation of not only pride in the female anatomy, this picture signals a symmetry with the past. Pride will not stop us, rather it will set us free. Watching we can feel the symbiosis synchronicity rise through the years. A Warrior’s Blood Courses Through My Veins Leaving the Poetry of Peace All that Remains.

I’m a fighter… I’m a lover… I’m a sinner… I’m a saint…

I am but a face

in a crowd

I am fierce

I am proud

don’t tell me

to be quiet

I’m a female

I am loud

don’t shun me

don’t seek me

I am not a child

don’t hunt me

or heal me

I Am Woman

I Am Wild

poetic prose – tanyajo