Laurence Philomene – Untitled from Lucky: a star is born (2018)

This is already fantastic only accounting for how candid, playful and immediate it is.

But there’s also the way the sharp focus on Lucky’s gaze as a counter balance to the way their mouth is hidden in the crook of their elbow–creating a Mona Lisa smile level of ambiguity. (You can only go on what you see: humor and perhaps also touch of world weariness or melancholy. But really, it feels like the subject sees more of the viewer than the viewer will ever guess about the subject.)

And the depth of field is used to stunning effect–elbow & right hand out of focus in the foreground; the pink polished nails, bridge piercing, eyes in sharp attention commanding focus and then everything dropping out of focus at the sides of their face, reverting to magenta and blue (a motif echoes in the offset MUTANT tattoo on Lucky’s forearm, echoed again in the tattooed fingers and pink nails polished to a mirrored sheen.

This is freaking stellar portrait. And the rest of the series is just as worth your time. Laurence is staggeringly talented and I’m excited with the way they seem to be pushing themself and their work.