Heji Shin: THE BIG NUDES

Heji Shins photographic practice pushes boundaries and challenges societal ideals surrounding fashion, celebrity, and sexuality. The German artist . . . is one of the wildest experimentalists working in photography today. Interview magazine Shins practice oscillates fluidly between the commercial and fine-art realms, and the work she exhibits in gallery and museum contexts is strongly influenced by the editorial work she produces. For THE BIG NUDES, a title that reappropriates Helmut Newtons series of the same name, Shin photographed pigs at close range, employing the vernacular of fashion photography to transform the pigs into models who appear to flirt with and pose for the camera. The photographs are paired with MRI scans and a holographic model of Shins brainan impression of the self that troubles and transforms our foundational ideas of what constitutes a portrait. Alongside a curators note from Ebony L. Haynes, this publication features a text by Benot Lamy de La Chapelle that explores the interplay between Shins commercial and fine-art practices. This insightful analysis provides a deeper understanding of Shins work, shedding light on the nuances of her artistic choices.