GREG LOTUS : MORE ABOUT THE ARTIST
“People only see the outside of a photograph, I see the inside.”
The world of Greg Lotus inhabits a cinematic realm cast in intense monochrome shadows, geometric shapes, and powerful lines. Lotus had his first breakthrough moment in 2004 when he met with Franca Sozzani, the 28 year-long Editor-In-Chief of Italian Vogue, who granted him the opportunity to shoot a spread for Vogue Italia. However, starting his photography career at age 28, Lotus began his career by photographing his roommates in Seattle who were models, as he too was a model signed to Ford agency. Lotus’ modelling years can occasionally be detected in his works, his image entitled Number Face features models lined up posing with numbers covering their faces, perhaps a subtle allusion to superficial standards of beauty or the notion that models are characterless bodies. Nature is a focal element of Lotus’ works, having grown up in rural West Virginia with a baby deer for a pet, Lotus’ love for animals has carried through into his works and is often contrasted alongside his new metropolitan influences. However, for Lotus’ the inclusion of nature in his works is more conceptual than simply showcasing an animal, rather, it is about the graphic or textual element contributed to the work by the natural world. Lotus’s combination of fashion into wild natural surroundings perhaps reflects an attempt to find intersections between two different forms of beauty.
Lotus’s images are theatrical and often carefully staged, with his models typically exhibiting impeccable posture in their meticulously choreographed poses. Often drawing on themes of sport or physical activity such as ballet, swimming, and aerobics, Lotus’ images find expression through the physicality of the body and frequently utilize props and costumes to enhance the visual aesthetics and the narrative of his works. This sense of theatre in his photographs is heightened by the extreme contrasts in shadows which create strong lines and patterns throughout the image and form dynamic compositions which captivate the eye. There is an echo of influence from surrealist film and photography in Lotus’ works with their frequent monochrome palettes and dream-like arrangements which often allude to curious narratives. In Lotus’ photographs, figures often appear abstracted as the shapes and forms they create within the image reveal to be more important than the personal features of those photographed. Again, perhaps a reference to surrealism, Lotus often plays with the viewer’s perception of reality, creating highly polished images in which the models are precisely posed, yet after closer study, the images begin to reveal their small imperfections
In essence, Lotus’ signature style can be distinguished by the presence of poised women, exotic animals, and fierce graphics.
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Exhibitions:
Dec 2021: Art Basel exhibition at the Hotel
Nov 2021: St Barth Photo Festival, Saint Barthelemy
June 2020: High Point Market, NC, USA
October 2019: Nudes, Galeri Fine Art Oslo, Norway
