New York based artist Yigal Ozeri will debut a stunning solo show at Mark Moore Gallery this Saturday, October 30. In his latest body of work, he captures rock royalty model/actress Lizzie Jagger, daughter of Mick Jagger & Jerry Hall. Posing in lucious velvets amidst a hauntingly ethereal frozen landscape, Ozeri’s dramatic, rock ‘n’ roll, sumptuously gorgeous portraits call to mind the unparalleled beauty of Pre-Raphaelite painters. Injecting a much needed dose of beauty, depth and complexity to Photorealism, Yigal Ozeri’s works dance between liminal realms of reality and fantasy, imagination and truth, nature and transcendence.

The subject of your latest solo exhibition at Mark Moore Gallery features the rock-royalty model & actress Lizzie Jagger, the oldest daughter of Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall. Can you talk a little bit about how you came to work with her, why you chose her as a subject?

Lizzie is a special individual. I was introduced to Lizzie by a mutual friend. We cannot forget that she is the daughter of Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall. Like the famous quote says, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Both of her parents were such monumental, iconic figures that she is the ultimate model. To me she represents freedom, joy, and love.

Can you talk about collaborating with Lizzie for the images and what you envisioned at the outset? Why did you choose the snow as the setting?

She came to the photo shoot on one of the coldest winter days we had last year. The entire park was covered with white snow, everything was frozen.

I absolutely love the portrait of Lizzie smoking with her eyes closed…at first, I almost thought the smoke was some kind of magical trope, and when I realized it was from a cigarette it immediately became sort of rock ‘n’ roll, of this era. The portraits, for me, are timeless; you can’t quite place the temporality of many of them. But a woman smoking a cigarette also makes them contemporary at the same time. And its an odd juxtaposition in nature. How did the poses with the cigarettes come about?

From the moment she arrived, Lizzie started to chain-smoke. Smoking in nature? The staff on the set was a little confused as to why I wasn’t upset at her taking all these “smoking breaks.” They asked, “Are you paying her to smoke?” Nobody understood why I kept filming. I thought it was brilliant.

This was her connection to nature. That was her passion for nature, that was her joy, her relaxation. That was a new challenge for me. She smoked and she smiled with great joy. That was enough for me. “I got what I need,” I told everyone. The white smoke that materialized from the wet white snow was visually stimulating for me.

I love the wardrobe in the paintings, there’s sort of a Victorian/Edwardian influence, with the flowing bell sleeves, the beautiful black magic velvet hooded gown, there’s almost an element of the supernatural or a mysterious witchy woman…were these pieces Lizzie’s clothing? How did you decide what she would wear, or how did that come about?

Yes- she came wearing a black/green velvet cape, she had pale skin and long hair and she looked like a vampire.

The mimetic qualities and approach of your works is absolutely gorgeous, calling to mind the elegant compositions and sumptuous detail of Pre-Raphaelite painters. In particular I am reminded of such works as Jon Everett Millais’ “Ophelia,” where the subject just seems to melt and become one with the natural environment, or the stunning ladies of Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The details in the hair, the fabric, the textural qualities of the snow and her expressions are all incredibly sensuous. Can you talk about your relation to this movement & style?

Yes, there is definitely a connection to “Pre-Raphaelite.” I paint women in nature. Of course I look at the works of John Everett Millais, “Ophelia in the Nature” from the 1850’s. I was fascinated with the works and with the group of artists Millais, Rossetti, they worked like a communion. They work together in England with complete freedom without all the feeling of academic work that was before them. They took the model to the nature and just painted.

The works also call to mind tromp l’oeil of sorts, or more recently, photorealism. But for me, the works sort of live in the uncanny valley, at once hyper real and imaginative, encapsulating both truth and fiction at once. For me, the heightened reality of the pieces don’t lend the works the dry, factual tone of Photorealism, but instead a kind of haunting, ethereal beauty that is incredibly arresting and seductive. They sort of dance between myriad realms. Can you talk about how mimesis plays out in your works, the relation between your paintings and photographs?

Photographing is an important part of my work. I use all the elements of video, and digital photography, and I archive and store them on my computer. After I organize them and choose the images that I want to use, I start the painting process. First, I make a grid on the canvas or paper, then I project the drawing and then I paint with the actual photograph as a reference. I think that when you create a movie there is no way back. What the camera captures is the closest to life, to real life, to one’s reality, to one’s breathing. The camera doesn’t lie. That is why it isn’t photorealism, it isn’t hyperrealism, it is reality.

How did you come to work in this fashion?

In 2000 after my mother died, I created a series called Tikkun (like tikkun olam- meaning “to mend the world”) like a “Trompe L’oeil.” I dealt with materials that decay when the body decomposes, and with fear of death. That series marked a turning point in my career. I did a series called the Last Supper inspired by Leonardo De Vinci. I dealt again with decay and all the transformations that Leonardo De Vinci’s The Last Supper fresco endured. The actual de Vinci piece was restored for over 400 years and that really fascinated me. My The Last Supper series was the first time I used small brushes and the first time I used photography and reproduction as a major source to my work.

Shortly after that series, I started painting windows with pigeons, which in actuality was the view from my Long Island City studio. That was when the big change began. I wasn’t focused on reacting to the art world anymore, but rather I focused on my immediate surrounding.

In the first phase I painted by looking at the object, observing it and painting it without a secondary reference. I completed one painting, on the topic of seasons “The Four Seasons” in 13 months. It was the only painting that I painted simply by observing. After that I started to photograph the window and the pigeons surrounding it every day for a year. I started painting from the photographs I took, like you mentioned in the question, it was the idea of photorealism for the first time in my work. Initially I painted much more freely and then I started to pay more attention to details and I started using small brushes. It was the first time I was able to paint portraits. I added paintings of my son and daughter as representations of myself as a child playing with pigeons in my grandfather’s house in Israel. It was a very gradual process of shifting styles over a decade, it  didn’t happen all at once.

I got here from Israel as a successful artist with a unique artistic vocabulary and then little by little I have changed. I started to breathe differently. I became more of an American artist, with a different perspective after all I have been a New Yorker for the past 22 years.

What inspires you as an artist, whether visually, conceptually, musically…?

It is always the first moment with the model in the natural atmosphere. How the model connects with the natural aspects. Her first interaction with her settings. Her initial timidness, slight reluctant behavior, insecurity, embarrassment, the model’s direct gaze, her openness. Sometimes the model experiences joy from her settings, that is the most important element in my eyes. If it doesn’t happen then the work will never happen. All of those aspects affect my work.

Assume Vivid Astro Focus, an artist collective oozing in an overflow of psychedelic energy, has been making a name for themselves within the art scene since 2001. They have recently published a book that documents six years of their projects, which consists of a combination of multimedia installations and performance art.

NYC based architect Si-Yeon Min, who received training from the University of Michigan and the prestigious GSAPP at Columbia University recently published an interesting limited edition book on creativity. Compiled from his work in a creative field, his book documents how off-the-wall thinking can lead to genuine discovery. The book strikes a chord with the print-lover in me, as each cover design features a different color. Just 25 copies published by Allied Operations.

Just bought my tickets to see Foxy Shazam Oct 28! The video above, “Unstoppable,” is a triumphant fist pumping sports-arena rocker a la “We Will Rock You” by Queen. I think these lyrics sum it up for me perfectly: “I don’t want my friends to think I’m so punk rock/ So punk rock’n'roll/ And all you hipsters say I’m gay/ Well I’m not gay at all!” Pop-glam rock ‘n’ roll translated through a half ridiculous, half sincere drunk, warbling Freddie Mercury with an Inigo Montoya-style ‘stache and Pippi Longstocking freckles? Yes!

Amir just brought back a beautiful brochure of Simone Lueck’s latest exhibition at Kopeikin Gallery, “The Once and Future Queens.” They’re stunning portraits of incredibly fabulous older ladies posing as some of their favorite Hollywood starlettes, as Mara, in her glamour bath after Brigitte Bardot above, demonstrates. (All subjects were found via an online ad soliciting older ladies to pose as movie stars.) The photos are dripping with fierce divas in chiffon, moss crepe, diamonds, pink satins, and honey, everything else I love! If you’re in LA, the exhibition is up just a few more days, until October 23.

Los Angeles’ Laura Taylor excels at taking beguiling photos that quietly demand your attention. Lending her talents to an exciting storytelling project called The Smartest Thing She’s Ever Said, Taylor’s mystique draws you in slowly but surely. You end up a little lost in her world, in the best of ways. Here, we talk to Laura about her approach to photography and end up with a craving for cake.

What’s your name and what’s the story behind the first photo you ever took?

My name is Laura Taylor and the first photo I remember taking was of my beloved cat, Comet, with a disposable camera when I was 11. He was laying in a streak of light on the hardwood floor and I thought it was really pretty.

Something that I find striking about the photos on Art She Said is that you seem to play with perspective in a way that heightens the sense of intrigue in the image. Is this a conscious goal? Am I just reading too much into ‘pretty pictures’?

I definitely put a lot of thought into this project and the approach I wanted to take. The goal was to create a story that developed at a steady pace so I was very conscious of how much information I was including in each frame. I also didn’t want to have any interaction with the two subjects I was shooting. I want the viewers to feel as if they are secretly peering in on these separated lovers on their journey. I think by shooting wider shots, it creates that feeling of spying.

You have a posse called the Wetshirts… tell me the who, what, and why behind it.

The Wetshirts consists of Lou Noble, Sam Humphries, Ian Broyles and myself. As Ian puts it, “The Wetshirts is an inside joke that got out”. Essentially, we are friends and photography enthusiasts living in LA who get together with the common goal of taking pretty photos in the midst of hanging out. One day we just photographed each other being sprayed in the face with a hose in Lou’s front yard. This is how our fake band name, The Wetshirts, was coined. We created a Tumblr to share with each other the photos we get from our shoots.

What motivates you to take pictures? And, what demotivates you? When you’re not in the mood, what does it take to get back into the swing of things?

When I’m taking photos, my brain kind of goes quiet and I stop overthinking things. I have one little square, and that little square is my whole world for that moment. I can make that world be as magical and calm as I’d like. I don’t get that sense of peace from anything else – it’s intoxicating. Like a lot of folks, I’m my own worst critic. I’m blissful taking the photos but not always satisfied with the results. There are an overwhelming amount of talented photographers sharing their work on the internet right now. It’s very easy to feel like your voice is small and ordinary. But the feeling that photography gives me keeps me coming back for more. Taking photos is like eating cake for me… why would I ever want to stop eating cake? It’s delicious.

We are proud to present Beautiful/Decay Book 4: Exquisite Corpse! This book assembles a group of artists that twist and contort our understanding of the human body. Ranging from the macabre, grotesque, humorous, sculptural and the beautiful, each artist pushes classical figurative work into brand new forms.  We also invited 26 artists from around the world to play a virtual game of Exquisite Corpse.

If that’s not enough, each copy of the book comes with an original silkscreened artist print of interpreting the theme! To celebrate the release get 15% off Book 4 for one week. Use discount code: BDECAYBOOKCULT

And, while you’re stocking up on Cult of Decay reading material, be sure to check out our newly re-launched online shop. We’ve stocked up on over 20 B/D back issues. We’ve even made available a select number of previously sold out issues-so grab your copies while they last! Buy HERE.

I came across photographer Paola de Grenet’s photo series, “Albino Beauty,” today. Her figures are ethereally beautiful, almost sculptural.