Ashley Space

PHOTOGRAPHER: ARTHUR BELEBEAU In this creative play on an up-close beauty shot, photographer Arthur Belebeau has created a fascinating background for the viewer to ponder. From one-quarter of the model’s face, we can see, we can tell that she is an astronaut, looking in awe at something we can only imagine, as if taken from Stanley Kubrick’s cultural marker movie 2001: A Space Odyssey or equally iconic David Bowie’s song Space Oddity. Yet her bold red lip, white nail polish, and alluring makeup contrast the classical idea of the astronaut. Beyond the esthetic qualities of the image, it refers to the space race and the idea of exploration, which had a major influence on American society, popular culture, and the Pop Art movement of the 1960s. Artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein used images of astronauts and rockets to explore themes of consumerism and the commodification of space exploration. Edition of 15. Larger exceptional formats and custom sizes available upon request at contact@theselectsgallery.com.