The Clintons, Mikhail Gorbachev in Pizza Hut ads, the nascent dot com bubble, Cool Britannia, rave parties and Madonna, the grunge scene of Seattle and Beverly Hills, Valley girls, East End boys and West End girls. Never again has the world been in such a perfect harmony, drenched in euphoria, plunging the western world in a pool of abundance and blissfulness.
The 90's at a glance - the last decade of a century which shaped the world at whirlwind speeds. The culmination of a generation born war-free, worry-free and perhaps the last generation to be debt-free. All these themes keep making a come back right now, not necessarily because the key premises are true, but perhaps because the state of affairs during the recent years has delivered a devastating blow to the last crumbs of palpable innocence and optimism.
The argument is compelling for creators and artists to recreate the better but not so older times and we have observed them during Fresh 18, too. The 90's and its nonchalant tutti fruity of aesthetics, represent everyman’s coming of age: The rite of passage from the awkward teenager struggling to find its identity, to the firm, vocal citizen in today’s turbulent world. At the core of the 90's the light of optimism to keep pushing, failing, and succeeding forward.
The 90's design
A kaleidoscopic mix of colors, forms, a more mature, digestible approach to the sharp edges and bold colors of the 80's.
"Peepholes is a voyeuristic series exploring abstractions of the bodies' orifices."
Kristyna Archer
Dreams / Treasures
Comma
"My art evokes in me a feeling of joy and resonate with good vibrations, which I wish to spread to all who look at my work"
Comma
Excerpt from the Everyday Project
Radik Sitdikov
"Exploring modern communication and existence in the digital world."
Radik Sitdikov
A Different Splash (After David Hockney)
Jeffrey Jay Jarin
"The concept of the work is about time. We all know that David Hockney's 'A Bigger Splash' is a very clean depiction of an ideal and calm American lifestyle. But what would the surroundings look like now if it was neglected for so some time?"
Jeffrey Jay Jarin
Generation Grunge
The Seattle scene of Pearl Jam, Nirvana: the first MTV generation proudly parading gawky figures, statement hairstyles and Baudelairian physiques.
Discolouration
Lily Zoumpouli
"Capturing glances of the moments that passed us by, in times when we were maybe too young to realise that they weren’t there to stay until eternity would have torn us apart. But still old enough to know they were worth noticing.
The need for a way of connecting through a medium with my own feelings and surroundings became the catalyst of this works existence. Each photograph has a background story that carries on its shoulders the reason for its own memory."
Lily Zoumpouli
The 90's
Raquel
"A beautiful capture of the last few decades in one image, the props, the colours, the hair - it's got attitude. A hard thing to capture."
Ian Fooks
"This series is all style. Simple idea perfectly executed. Like."
Tim Jarvis
"It’s about recreating vintage, grainy, film feeling photography."
Myles Mack
Sensuality
Andres Daniel
"I created this self portrait with the intent to express a more sensual side of me than most people are used to seeing. I find that waves and water symbolize the fluidity of sexuality, and view flowers as a way to symbolize the feeling of sensuality."
Andres Daniel
Humans
Essence Ransome-Ambersley
"We are all connected, but our individuality always reveals itself."
Essence Ransome-Ambersley
Shape & Shadow
Jody Mattioli
Janke X Patrizia Pepe Editorial
Jody Mattioli
Look at me, Feel me
Juan Dulcey
"I found you, I found a lost world, magic and fantasy, I found a place where I feel alive in the present and the distance, I found you, I immersed myself in a dream that overcomes reality."
Juan Dulcey
Wanderland
Joey Mendoza
"To me this set was about freedom of being lost of being confident in yourself those expression of satisfaction came to life while in the wild sometimes we need to be naked in the woods to truly experience life. when's the last time you were? this has to be one of my favorite sets to date just because me and her worked so well and it came out perfect to emotion the style the look you can sense the lust the wander."
Joey Mendoza
Vogue
Whether it’s Madonna’s anthem or the legendary edition, Vogue redefines fashion, feminism, gender roles and purpose, paying homage to the poster child of an era: Oliviero Toscani.
Just breath, just believe
Cia Lamata
"Just breath, just believe."
Cia Lamata
Vanity Pop
Otha Davis III
"Vanity Pop is a celebration of women, beauty, fashion, duality, insecurity and self preservation. With that foundation, My abstract portraits are a visual dialogue about our society’s idolization of beauty, the cosmetic enhancements endured to meet the status quo and the impact this has on popular culture. Although my work looks like collage, it’s in fact, meticulously hand painted to blur the boundaries between perception and reality.
By juxtaposing my subjects with diverse “perfect” features, I believe it speaks about the fragmentation within us all as we strive for acceptance. My aim is to produce art that consistently ignites discussion, captivates the senses and most importantly, question the importance we place on outer appearances."
Otha Davis III
PeopleofcolorOhio
Lamar Jones
"Photos for a Local Brand in CLE/CHI."
Lamar Jones
Different color, same skin
Laura Zamora
"These photographs try to reflect the equality of all people regardless of the color of your skin."
Laura Zamora
Technicolour Dreams
Colour, more colour and patterns! It’s not fashion revisited, it’s a solid comeback.
Kresles Debut Collection
Wynona Andrea Domingo
"Kresles is a brand featuring spiced-up street wear for the wild spirit. This lookbook features the brand's Debut Collection"
Wynona Andrea Domingo
Stranger Things
Jimmy Fermin
"Inspired by Alexander Berdin-Lazursky work 'Lamb Of Future' I wanted to replicate this very concept of angelic mixed in with the technological. It's an amazing idea of old with new, I definitely enjoyed this one."
Jimmy Fermin
Saturation
Jeana Lindo
"Berchell and I collaborated for this photoshoot showcasing male companionship and black pride. His designs are about cultural fusion and an exploration of texture and print. He combines African wax prints and athleticwear fabrics to create unique streetwear pieces."
Jeana Lind
Fresh Insight
The Insight programme explores ideas and concepts from across the Fresh 18 entry pool. Compiled by Villy Devlioti with help from our Curators.
10.2018