Nicki as Billie in The Lipstick Portraits
A portrait of the lovely Nicki Richards posing as Billie Holiday is among a provocative collection of portraits celebrating freedom captured by photographer and beauty industry leader Michael Angelo and currently on display at 401 Projects in New York City.
Using red lipstick as a unifying motif and a metaphor for freedom, Michael captured the individuality, beauty, and free spirit of 60 truly unique and inspiring women and men, including Susan Sarandon, Alan Cumming, Daryl Hannah, Dita von Teese, and Simon Doonan.
These people make an indelible mark on the world by finding their own paths and walking them boldly – by allowing their style to emanate from within, by using beauty and fashion to enrich the lives of others.
The Lipstick Portraits were inspired by Mariane Pearls description, in a Glamour Global Diary, of sex trafficking in Cambodia, where red lipstick can be understood as a symbol of a young woman’s enslavement; in The Lipstick Portraits red lipstick is a symbol for empowerment.
The exhibition runs May 23, 2010, Tuesday through Sunday, 12 to 6 PM at 401 Projects. Proceeds will benefit the Somaly Mam Foundation, a non-profit organization working to abolish the
trafficking of women and girls for sex work.
For more information please visit:
www.somaly.org
www.401projects.com
www.wonderlandbeautyparlor.com
web.mac.com/michael_angelo