Wellington-based artist Jonathan Cameron works with elements of popular culture, often exploring notions of desire and its relation to Lacanian notions of other.
Cameron explains, “Popular culture, whether it be pop music or blockbuster films, has a great hold and influence over a significant majority in our society; it is this hold or influence that I find intriguing and often use/explore as a basis to my work.”
In his latest project, Vamp, Cameron explores popular culture’s obsession with the beautiful and seductive vampire figure; a physical manifestation of the desirable other. Vamp is a cookbook featuring a series of alluring images of high teas; while immediately appealing to the senses, examination of the accompanying texts reveals blood as an ingredient in each recipe. The seductive qualities expressed through each image functions in a similar way to the vampire in popular culture; engaging the viewer in such a way that we come to accept the abject.
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