Олега Доу

another face

source: interviewrussiaru
При виде гладких выбеленных лиц детишек и «инопланетных» людей на снимках московского художника Олега Доу у коллекционеров маниакального склада характера начинают трястись руки, а деньги сами выпрыгивают из кошелька.
Для резервации места в вечности Доу этого мало. «Фотографии не переживут семь поколений моей семьи», — сокрушается художник и решает освоить новую технику — фарфор. Он отлично хранится веками и вполне укладывается в стерильную стилистику Доу. К тому же фарфор сложнее и, значит, интереснее в производстве. На заглавной картинке — классическая сцена пикника, где похожие на детей существа с удлиненными руками и пятачками вместо носов обедают поросячьей головой. Эта скульптура — часть серии Mushroom Kingdom, самой эмоциональной в творчестве Олега. «Все это про детские страхи, про то, как и почему в жизни появляется насилие», — объясняет художник.
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source: rtrgallery
When it comes to digital photography in recent years, designated as “the age of doubt” by Andre Rouillé, Oleg Dou has been the spokesman of the spectacular. In his work, truth is as tangible as it is elusive. Is this a photo or is it a digital collage? Is this a visualisation of the artist’s expression or the aesthetic value of the project in and of itself?
“Photographers do not consider me as one of them, but contemporary artists hate me just as much, since for them I am not conceptual enough.”
Disregarding this ambiguity, Dou’s aim is to manipulate. Each of his portraits, while shouting realism, defeats the rational by deformation of organs, swelling of skin etc. Human nature, embodied in the face and especially in the eyes, it is in distress that is not conveyed by emotion. The images are clearly augemented by technological skill, that is evident to the naked eye but that does not reassure the viewer about the underlying suggestions as to the realities of torture.
In his latest body of work comprising a series of eight images, aptly entitled ‘Another Face’, Dou asks, whether a mask is or can become our other self – “Me”. Taking his work further in this series, Dou records on faces, for the first time, deliberate, unvarnished, digital unvarnished violence — or so it seems. Ultimately we can elicit the truth, which the artist seems to attach as a rider to his prima facie message. Tortured faces with hairless, dead skin, suddenly become a normality by trapping our minds with subtle additions – pencil red pattern wallpaper – trap our minds and shelter it from the stark and ultimately unbearable reality that is faced by the models. The use of face as a metonym for self and as an expression of the effect on self.
Inevitably one recalls Dou’s Russian cultural predecessor’s from Dostoyevsky, Eisenstein, or even Chekhov, known for denouncing and pinpointing the most poignant truths with forcefulness, which is uncommon for the Western sensibility. A demonstration of implacable fate and straight inscribed in our human condition, imposed by a rough aesthetic, where the style is apparently – overshadowed.
In this new exhibition, RTR Gallery is continuing its mind map evolution, positioning Dou’s work within the framework of conceptual exploration of ‘Scenery’ (staged), located at the intersection of notions of truth and light, as a counterpoint to transparency. Rather than irony, this body of work, despite the focus of faces of Dou’s models, is a dramatisation or our conscious and sub-conscious anxieties of life as embedded in the very flesh of the faces.
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source: lookatmeru
В 13 лет Олег начал делать первые манипуляции с цифровым изображением, с помощью Photoshop изменяя фотографии друзей и родственников.
Узнаваемый стиль Олега Доу – крупноформатные портреты детей и взрослых с пластифицированными, почти кукольными лицами, лишенными человеческих эмоций и изъянов, напоминают образцы корейского современного искусства.
Серия “Another Face” вдохновлена книгой японского писателя Кобо Абэ «Лицо другого». В основе сюжета – искусственная трансплантация внешности другого человека, которая впоследствии обретает власть над разумом и волей главного героя. Серия состоит из ряда крупноформатных портретов, лица которых покрыты бумагой и рисунками. Часть серии была представлена на выставке в Париже, но впоследствии она была развита и дополнена новыми работами.
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source: blckdmnds
Oleg Dou nasceu em Moscou em 1983, seu pai era estilista e sua mãe pintora. Oleg passou muito tempo de sua infância lendo revistas de moda de seu pai e quando Oleg tinha 13 anos, seus pais lhe ofereceram seu primeiro computador e nele instalado uma versão antiga do Photoshop com qual ele já começou a transformar os rostos de seus colegas de escola e professores em arte. Depois de estudar design, Oleg trabalhou como Web Designer e foi de lá que se interessou pelas artes e criação.
A arte de Oleg Dou foi descoberta em 2006 por Liza Fetissovae e hoje tem suas obras apresentadas na França, Bélgica, Holanda, Espanha, Rússia e Estados Unidos, reconhecida internacionalmente por sua visão incrivelmente única. Em suas obras temos características naturais e o domínio das ferramentas, e na maioria sempre usando a individualidade humana e a auto-expressão, beirando entre o belo e o repulsivo.
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source: thegroundmag
Photo artist Oleg Dou is a multi award-winning based in Moscow. He is celebrated internationally for his staggeringly unique vision. His focus on artistry and craft is transformative. Oleg was born in Moscow on 19th of August 1983. His mother was a painter, and I he spent a lot of time among artists, though not particularly interested in their activities.
“I felt an urge for arts and creation some time ago, when I was working as a web designer, which pushed me to study seriously the design. That’s how I “bumped into” photography, and I had an idea to combine it with design.”
“Creation brings me an enormous pleasure, I became conscious of the fact that photography is something I always wanted to do. I am stubborn, ambitious and optimistic by nature, I like being different, and my work, I hope, reflects these features of my character.”
With his photography he’s trying to show people in a not stereotypical way, he’s always been interested in human individuality and self-expression. He is looking for something bordering between the beautiful and the repulsive, living and dead.
What do you think.. pretty or creepy?