"a strange picture of perfection"

Wendy

Tiffany

Molly

Maggie

Lois

Jane

Anne

Deborah

Amy and Michelle

Barbara

All images from the series Week-End by Alex Prager, 2009

I went to the opening of this show a few weeks back and haven't been able to get these images out of my mind. I caught an article about Alex Prager before the show opened and was shocked I hadn't heard of her works before, as they encapsulate so much that I love and identify with. Honestly, there was no artist I studied more than Cindy Sherman during my undergrad, so to find a young artist from Southern California doing a modern take on the idea, I was in love. The images are incredible. They truly appeal to me on so many levels. I mean the 60's/70's aesthetic, the clothes, the emotions, the Los Angeles background, the colors. How could you not be pulled into the twisted tales of the lost looking women? Sure, some may say they're superficial and too derivative, but isn't that true of Hollywood itself? I love that she makes images of women that are compelling and intriguing, as opposed to sexy and obvious. So although the images and the ideas behind them aren't the most original, it doesn't make them any less successful in my opinion. In fact just the opposite. I would be honored to be one of the women in the images, which is a lot more than I can say for many other artists' depictions of women.

The show will be up through March 6 at M+B. If anyone is thinking of getting me an early birthday present and has an extra couple of thousand, my favorites are Barbara, Jane, Deborah, and Molly. I would love you forever and ever.