Moscow-based photographer Alexander Khokhlov explores the visually transformative power of paint and makeup in his 2D or not 2D and Angry Beards projects. Both bodies of work are part of the photographer’s overarching Art of Face series that includes an ever-growing collection of beauty shots featuring intriguing applications of face paint. We’ve seen his Weird Beauty series in which the models were dramatically painted in black and white and now Khokhlov is back with artistic color.
Working with makeup artist Valeriya Kutsan and retouching expert Veronica Ershova, Khokhlov manages to capture women and men as surreal versions of themselves, inspired by two-dimensional posters, comics, pop art, paintings, pixelated images, and cartoon characters. The project explains: “Valeriya used different techniques of face painting so you can see a lot of variations – from sketch and graphic arts to water-colour and oil-paintings. This is a combination of interesting make-ups, studio photography experiments and careful retouching.”
