Jennifer Latour was born in Seven Islands, Quebec, and now works and lives in Vancouver, BC. She is a self taught artist having moved to the UK in 2003 working in special effects makeup and later starting her photography practise in 2006. Her love for cinema, sculpture and creating characters has heavily led to the making of Bound Species as she sees each piece as its own creature, a Frankenstein of sorts. Her influences are many but within her fields span from Dick Smith and Rick Baker to Irving Penn and Tim Walker.
“Bound Species” by Jennifer Latour is an ongoing series that started in her apartment during the first lockdown in 2020. Jennifer finally had the time to focus on her own artistic practise. Sourcing flowers and fruits locally and using all her skills as a special effects makeup artist she set to work constructing these incredibly delicate ‘new species’ of plant.
The prints from this series have been made available for the first time through Open Doors Gallery, UK.
A word by Jennifer Latour:
“For the past 16 years I have been immersed in a world of making monsters, zombies, aliens and many different forms of prosthetic applications on humans for my work in special FX makeup. When time slowed down round the world early last year one of the only things I could work on from home was still life photography and so I set out to create compositions that reflected my love for form, sculpture, colour and textures while keeping it light, playful and above all unique.
It was only when I started visualising the plants and flowers as an extension of the humans and creatures I get to transform at work that I thought of making a new ‘species’ and that’s when my imagination took over. I began joining pieces of flowers, plants and various other things off one stem, creating a Frankenstein of sorts, and have been working on them whenever I can.
This series, “Bound Species”, has been so meditative, plant therapy is very real. I love that there is also a challenge in the making, balance is key as these are not photoshopped together and lots of patience is needed, especially when adding the last piece.
I really feel “Bound Species” will be a lifelong series that will keep morphing into new varied and stranger versions.”
Open Doors Gallery
Open Doors Gallery
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Information
Open Doors Gallery, London
3 Anderson Court, Shepherds Hill, Haslemere GU27 2NE
April 05, 2021 to April 30, 2021
