Women in the Art World

Lisa Kereszi.

Kereszi’s photographs depict a juxtaposition of burlesque dancers and empty interiors of strip clubs.  She entitled the series, Fantasies, because she wants to convey the creation and action of fantasy.  

I was interested in how Kereszi talked about her work, specifically the reaction of the mass audience.  I must say, I was surprised by what I read.  She stated in an interview:

“I heard a couple of comments that I wasn’t supposed to hear about the women in this book being ugly. Someone said something like “Oh, they’re naked ladies, but they’re ugly.” And I was shocked when that was relayed to me. I don’t think that at all, but I could see why a regular guy who is used to this air-brushed, silicone implant thing - that’s what they want to see naked today. That wasn’t the case when burlesque was queen in the fifties. So it’s a different kind of guy, I think, that likes this world, and a different kind of person in general. Living in New York and being an artist, you are not really aware of the real world. And this seems much bigger to me than I think it really might be; it is a subculture, it is still an underground thing even if it is popular. The people that are making it popular on TV are Carmen Electra, who looks really skinny and beautiful and perfect. She doesn’t seem to have the same charge that these women have.”

Awesome.

(Source: photoeye.com)