The jigsaw nature of collages is a strong format to bring together distinct worlds. Kalen Hollomon’s Fortune Portraits 2 collages straddle a comfortable world and a disconcerting one. The visual artist brings together the high and low of popular imagery; the elitist and the commonplace. The suggestive and mundare collide in his images of seductive women with big hair and glazed-over expressions. Hollomon’s provocateurs rest placidly under the lofty words of fortune cookie messages.
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The viewer is not inclined to feel at ease when seeing the series. It feels more like a misdemeanor to stare into the ambivalent eyes of these subjects, who give off a less-than-innocent vibe.
The possibility of sex is mixed with an austere saying: “Expect much of yourself and little of others,” “You cannot love life until you live the life you love,” and “Financial hardship in your life is coming to an end!” Every message alludes to themes of hidden ambition, materialistic influences, personal aims at inner peace, and the disconnect between physical and mental states.Hollomon tells The Creators Project of his conceit behind Fortune Portraits 2: "I'm always interested in how things work together or against each other, and in altering, shifting perception or understanding. For me, the Fortune Portraits are about open-ended questions, seduction and desperation, both the wild unknown and the cliché, false promises, and first impressions.“
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