ART: Tadao Cern

On his website, Tadao Cern writes the following: "In spring of 2010 I wanted to try something new and stopped being an architect. That 'something new' turned out to be photography."

The photos posted above are from an ongoing series he calls "Blow Job." Volunteers are positioned in front of a high-intensity wind machine (while holding their breath), and he photographs them. 

His take on the work seems to emphasize the fun people have during the shoot and the way that comes across in the photos.  He has traveled to several locations in order to shoot groups of volunteers (and it sounds like a "happening" results). [Cern lives in Vilnius, Lithuania.]

My appreciation for the best of the photos has less to do with the "joy" captured and more to do with the alterations that occur to the faces as the result of the wind.  The effect is just so...cool-looking.  And so democratic (i.e., every body is transformed in that context + conventional standards of beauty are unlikely to apply). 

Cern is an emerging artist, so I will cut him some slack. But I hope he will keep working on--and refining--this series. [Ideally with a better eye for styling and for the cropping of his images.] I think it shows a lot of potential. Wouldn't it be neat, for example, to see these billboard-size in a gallery? And to see people of all ages and cultures and social classes depicted (even celebrities--comedians might make for a great series). Maybe an actual "world tour" is in order? [Although something tells me he may have to change the name.]

See more of Cern's work here and here.