Fricke janssens biography for kids

Unaware of the skillful Photoshop tricks the artist applied to the photos, once again, people convicted [this] contemporary art to be shocking and manipulative, now even dragging children down the abyss of its sensation-focused ambitions. Instead, they manage to hold an almost perfect balance between something that we consider to be ugly and wrong the habit of smoking and children who have developed that habit and an aesthetically pleasing image.

The visual impact of a photograph can be potentially so intriguing that it has the capability of challenging our personal and shared critical opinion. It had been 14 years since she started shooting, and it was time to give homage to her work thus far. The publishing process was a lot of work, Janssens admits, but she would do another book down the road.

When she was promoting her work at a photo festival in Poland in November, she says, it was nice being able to hand people something all-encompassing and tangible. That said, Janssens affords her work a fair amount of exposure beyond social media, selling prints from her book in addition to participating in solo and group exhibitions. This month, she has an exhibition in London.

Given her repertoire, though, Janssens is bound to sprinkle in a daring secret ingredient or two. Note how daylight changes throughout the day. While Janssens always shoots with artificial light, she uses as much natural light as possible. At the same time, there has been a resurgence of allure associated with smoking, as can be seen in one of the most beloved shows on television, Mad Men, which celebrates the era of cigarettes and martini lunches.

Fricke janssens biography for kids

Frieke Janssens embarked on Smoking Kids in response to seeing a video of a chain-smoking toddler in Indonesia who became a tourist attraction. Alarmed by this reality, she decided to show people what the act of smoking looks like through the posturing of four to nine year old children. Working with modeling agencies, volunteers and family friends, Janssens tackled the issue of glamour often associated with smoking.

Both irreverent and stunning, Janssens' photographs challenge our perceptions of smoking and the attitudes often defined by it. As the artist states:. The video highlighted the cultural differences between the east and west, and questioned the notion of smoking as an adult activity. Since adult smokers are the societal norm, I wanted to isolate the viewer's focus on the issue of smoking itself.

Frieke does not adopt any particular position, but aims to convey the feeling that one is not only looking at a photograph, but at a mirror as well. As such, she leaves the viewers free in their interpretation, yet never leaves them indifferent. She sometimes lends her pared-down style to clients with whom she has a good connection, like a cultural centre, or a campaign, or a newspaper or magazine.