Vanity fair

   The flower bloomed very magnificently on my windowsill one day, which inspired me to make a series of portraits. Its extraordinary and defiant form led to an association with the desire to attract too much attention to itself, causing a feeling of superiority. I chose special foreshortening, filled the maximum space of the frame with the flower, placed it in captivity of illusions, scattered pollen like а brag, symbolically used a mirror and shimmering foil to emphasize vanity and even the manifestation of a certain amount of exhibitionism.

 

  At the same time, I did not want to give the series a negative impression, because it is natural to have such a form for a flower that blooms only once a year. Moreover, there is a bright side to vanity, it is impossible to develop without a healthy dose of ambition.The timeless images of Robert Mapplethorpe’s flowers came to mind, far from fragile, and are strong in their invulnerable beauty.
 
  I tried to find a balance between the light and dark sides of vanity and expressed it visually.