Vanitas

By Eshan Johia, Yzabelle Tolentino, Brooklyn Park, Mia Boyes, Sofia Benecke, Stranger Agency

Vanitas looks at the human figure the way a museum does. Across five looks, the body becomes four kinds of art: a natural specimen framed by peacock feathers, a painting stepping out of its gold frame, a sculpture where shape matters more than identity, and finally a museum piece, contained, lit and presented. The old vanitas paintings warned that beauty doesn't last. We flipped that around: here, being looked at is the whole point, and there's a little tension in being on display.