In her latest series FAKE i REAL ME, Corinne Mariaud photographed 23 young women who incarnate an ideal image, and symbolize a generation consumed by the desire to possess a “perfect” body. These young women have been doing everything since adolescence to obtain a utopian physique: through makeup they transform their faces using contouring and highlighting techniques to reshape the nose, create cheekbones, illuminate their complexion and even undergo cosmetic surgery.
Corinne Mariaud chose her models in Singapore and Korea because this obsession with an “ideal” appearance is there pushed to the extreme. “In Seoul, South Korea, the pursuit of perfection is becoming the ultimate goal. Young women place physical beauty among the most important things in their lives”, says the artist. Through her portraits, Corinne Mariaud presents us with their vision of beauty. “I photographed portraits of these young girls and asked them about their expectations and their views on beauty,” says photographer Corinne Mariaud.
In the series FAKE i REAL ME, most of the young women wear enlarged and coloured lenses, spend a total of one to two hours daily on makeup and skincare, and admit to having had one cosmetic surgical procedure. FAKE i REAL ME, embodies the loss of the “I”, stretched between illusion and reality.
Caroline Boudehen
Caroline Boudehen is an author and journalist who lives and works in Paris, France.
Corinne Mariaud, FAKE i REAL ME
20 April – 16 June 2017
Art+ Shanghai Gallery
Tanglin Mall #03-13, Singapore
163 Tanglin Road
247933 Singapour
