Russell Young
Jackie, 2017
Russell Young has long been fascinated by the dichotomy of the myth and reality of the …
Russell Young is interested in the places where the glamour of the American dream meets the darkness of crime, addiction, and death. He explores this in series such as “Dirty Pretty Things” (2010), in which screen printed images of notoriously tragic stars Marilyn Monroe and Kurt Cobain are sprinkled with diamond flakes. Young began as a straightforward photographer of celebrities, getting his start shooting the cover for George Michael's Faith album. Gradually, he shifted his approach to become an artist whose work comments on the phenomenon of celebrity portraiture. Young emulates Andy Warhol's printing style, applying saturated color over screen printed images in which subjects appear blown up and grainy, as though printed on newsprint.
Russell Young has long been fascinated by the dichotomy of the myth and reality of the "American Dream", which he often personifies as Hollywood glamour in contrast with our "knowing" of the jaded reality of celebrity. As explored in his previous collections Fame+Shame, American Envy, and This Land …
Russell Young is interested in the places where the glamour of the American dream meets the darkness of crime, addiction, and death. He explores this in series such as “Dirty Pretty Things” (2010), in which screen printed images of notoriously tragic stars Marilyn Monroe and Kurt Cobain are sprinkled with diamond flakes. Young began as a straightforward photographer of celebrities, getting his start shooting the cover for George Michael's Faith album. Gradually, he shifted his approach to become an artist whose work comments on the phenomenon of celebrity portraiture. Young emulates Andy Warhol's printing style, applying saturated color over screen printed images in which subjects appear blown up and grainy, as though printed on newsprint.
