Fruity Self-Portraits: A Dictionary of Emotions
February 17, 2012 3:33 PM Subscribe
16-year-old Spanish photographer Cristina Otero has created a new series of self-portraits inspired by fruit.
I'm not sure if I'm hungry or turned on? Can I be both?
posted by Fizz at 3:47 PM on February 17, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by Fizz at 3:47 PM on February 17, 2012 [2 favorites]
She's 16 so no
posted by 2bucksplus at 3:47 PM on February 17, 2012 [9 favorites]
posted by 2bucksplus at 3:47 PM on February 17, 2012 [9 favorites]
Unripe.
posted by fairmettle at 3:48 PM on February 17, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by fairmettle at 3:48 PM on February 17, 2012 [2 favorites]
Love the green grapes and the star fruit! (She's 16? That green grapes one would make her nervous if I were her mom!)
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 3:49 PM on February 17, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 3:49 PM on February 17, 2012 [2 favorites]
What's the one after kiwi?
posted by Horace Rumpole at 4:02 PM on February 17, 2012
posted by Horace Rumpole at 4:02 PM on February 17, 2012
Goodness, she's got that whole opening-her-eyes thing down, doesn't she? Sometimes both of them simultaneously.
posted by Grangousier at 4:03 PM on February 17, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by Grangousier at 4:03 PM on February 17, 2012 [3 favorites]
"Using fruit as her inspiration in this series entitled Tutti Frutti, Otero disrupts the conventional notions of feminine beauty "Oh, she does, does she? Because she looks pretty freakin' conventionally beautiful to me. Because yes, when a good looking woman wears makeup, or poses, or has brightly colored wigs, or makes funny faces, that just turns them all types of ugly, eh?
I hate verbage like that, as if she hasn't spent 16 years already benefiting at every turn by her looks- and she doesn't need it, since she actually is a good photographer. However, I'm not sure what's going on in some of these- some look like straight photographs where she has props and makeup, some look like photos with makeup and fruit props and additional photoshopping (such as the last one, where the berries look to have been added later), and some portraits look like paintings (especially ones like the green grapes one) that were at most based on photos.
posted by hincandenza at 4:04 PM on February 17, 2012 [17 favorites]
Because she looks pretty freakin' conventionally beautiful to me.
I largely agree with you. These hint at a sort of Cronenberg-ish organic-on-organic body horror, but never really deliver. They need to push just a little bit further into the grotesque, I think. As it is, the connection feels to me like the conventional flirting with the outré, rather than being subverted by it.
posted by howfar at 4:12 PM on February 17, 2012 [2 favorites]
I largely agree with you. These hint at a sort of Cronenberg-ish organic-on-organic body horror, but never really deliver. They need to push just a little bit further into the grotesque, I think. As it is, the connection feels to me like the conventional flirting with the outré, rather than being subverted by it.
posted by howfar at 4:12 PM on February 17, 2012 [2 favorites]
What's the one after kiwi?
Chirimoya / Custard Apple
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 4:14 PM on February 17, 2012 [2 favorites]
Chirimoya / Custard Apple
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 4:14 PM on February 17, 2012 [2 favorites]
Oh and I like the pix
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 4:15 PM on February 17, 2012
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 4:15 PM on February 17, 2012
I don't think it's bad to say the photos are a turn-on. They show a conventionally pretty young woman posing in full makeup with a bunch of fruit, which itself is symbolically associated with sex. These aren't explicitly sexual, but they are plenty alluring. I can see them turning heads but that's about it -- if anyone's actually getting off on them, that person is doing 90% of the work filling in the blanks in their own imagination.
posted by hermitosis at 4:17 PM on February 17, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by hermitosis at 4:17 PM on February 17, 2012 [4 favorites]
In the last one, the berries are shopped in, terribly. Why?
posted by Sys Rq at 4:17 PM on February 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Sys Rq at 4:17 PM on February 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
"Some things in their natural state have the most vivid colors."
posted by hermitosis at 4:20 PM on February 17, 2012
posted by hermitosis at 4:20 PM on February 17, 2012
They show a conventionally pretty young woman posing in full makeup with a bunch of fruit, which itself is symbolically associated with sex.
Symbolically? They're actual ovaries.
posted by Sys Rq at 4:20 PM on February 17, 2012 [4 favorites]
Symbolically? They're actual ovaries.
posted by Sys Rq at 4:20 PM on February 17, 2012 [4 favorites]
some portraits look like paintings
Yeah seriously. Banana and starfruit especially.
posted by kenko at 4:44 PM on February 17, 2012
Yeah seriously. Banana and starfruit especially.
posted by kenko at 4:44 PM on February 17, 2012
(And green grapes—that lower lip was not captured thus photographically.)
posted by kenko at 4:45 PM on February 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by kenko at 4:45 PM on February 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
Attractive teenager owns expensive camera, is skilled at photo manipulation. Lucky girl.
posted by cilantro at 4:50 PM on February 17, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by cilantro at 4:50 PM on February 17, 2012 [3 favorites]
"Using fruit as her inspiration in this series entitled Tutti Frutti, Otero disrupts the conventional notions of feminine beauty "Oh, she does, does she? Because she looks pretty freakin' conventionally beautiful to me. Because yes, when a good looking woman wears makeup, or poses, or has brightly colored wigs, or makes funny faces, that just turns them all types of ugly, eh?
Yeah, not that I object to beautiful people being beautiful (that'd be hypocrisy), but there's something sick about reaching for this particular lie to post pretty pictures of a pretty person.
posted by grobstein at 4:52 PM on February 17, 2012 [2 favorites]
The only one that was interesting was the pineapple... the rest felt like some sort of asian soft porn for some reason.
posted by HuronBob at 5:00 PM on February 17, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by HuronBob at 5:00 PM on February 17, 2012 [2 favorites]
More like 16-year-old SPINACH photographer! (Spinach is a fruit right?)
posted by tumid dahlia at 5:16 PM on February 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by tumid dahlia at 5:16 PM on February 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
Somebody must have just found DeviantArt.
posted by june made him a gemini at 5:24 PM on February 17, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by june made him a gemini at 5:24 PM on February 17, 2012 [3 favorites]
as if she hasn't spent 16 years already benefiting at every turn by her looks
what a jerk for single-handedly constructing such a society
posted by shakespeherian at 5:43 PM on February 17, 2012 [7 favorites]
what a jerk for single-handedly constructing such a society
posted by shakespeherian at 5:43 PM on February 17, 2012 [7 favorites]
Interesting, obliquely... They're very well done myspace vanity shots like those a 16 year old girl might take.
They are mostly well done, though. With that much skill that early she might eventually do something. Or, you know, become a commercial photographer. Her first step is to grow out of that signing your photographs bullshit.
posted by cmoj at 6:27 PM on February 17, 2012 [4 favorites]
They are mostly well done, though. With that much skill that early she might eventually do something. Or, you know, become a commercial photographer. Her first step is to grow out of that signing your photographs bullshit.
posted by cmoj at 6:27 PM on February 17, 2012 [4 favorites]
You never really know if precocious people like this will actually turn into wildly productive adults or not, way too many personal factors involved, including luck, but she has talent in spades.
posted by jeffburdges at 6:30 PM on February 17, 2012
posted by jeffburdges at 6:30 PM on February 17, 2012
"Using fruit as her inspiration in this series entitled Tutti Frutti, Otero disrupts the conventional notions of feminine beauty "
Oh, she does, does she? Because she looks pretty freakin' conventionally beautiful to me. Because yes, when a good looking woman wears makeup, or poses, or has brightly colored wigs, or makes funny faces, that just turns them all types of ugly, eh?
Oh ok good, it's not just me. I thought that since I just finished reading all the comments in this thread about the perception of women in society, maybe I was a little predisposed to think, "wtf, these are absoLUTEly conventional!", but glad to see others immediately had the same reaction. She is beautiful, though, and the photos are nice.
posted by chela at 6:35 PM on February 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
Oh, she does, does she? Because she looks pretty freakin' conventionally beautiful to me. Because yes, when a good looking woman wears makeup, or poses, or has brightly colored wigs, or makes funny faces, that just turns them all types of ugly, eh?
Oh ok good, it's not just me. I thought that since I just finished reading all the comments in this thread about the perception of women in society, maybe I was a little predisposed to think, "wtf, these are absoLUTEly conventional!", but glad to see others immediately had the same reaction. She is beautiful, though, and the photos are nice.
posted by chela at 6:35 PM on February 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
Pretty girl takes photos of herself, calls it art. News at Eleven.
posted by unSane at 7:36 PM on February 17, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by unSane at 7:36 PM on February 17, 2012 [2 favorites]
sigh, at her age I was cutting together pictures out of newspapers and connecting them with careful pencil shading - how much I would have loved a digital camera and photoshop! these are fun, and very well executed - I like when I can't tell which parts are in the original photo, and which have been altered, it gives the whole image a nice surreal quality.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 8:03 PM on February 17, 2012
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 8:03 PM on February 17, 2012
What's the one after kiwi?
Looks like some variety of Paw Paw.
posted by clarknova at 8:36 PM on February 17, 2012
Looks like some variety of Paw Paw.
posted by clarknova at 8:36 PM on February 17, 2012
Meatbomb: "She's 16 so no
Age of consent in Spain is 13."
*moves to Spain*
I kid, I kid.
Seriously though, I really like her work. I didn't find it sexual in any way but more playful and experimental. Just doing a metal checklist of the 16 year olds I know, male and female, I don't know if they'd have the focus and vision to pull something like this off. I'm sure as she matures, she'll refine her vision and possibly gain a edgier style. For now, what a great start. Thanks for sharing this.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 9:27 PM on February 17, 2012
Age of consent in Spain is 13."
*moves to Spain*
I kid, I kid.
Seriously though, I really like her work. I didn't find it sexual in any way but more playful and experimental. Just doing a metal checklist of the 16 year olds I know, male and female, I don't know if they'd have the focus and vision to pull something like this off. I'm sure as she matures, she'll refine her vision and possibly gain a edgier style. For now, what a great start. Thanks for sharing this.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 9:27 PM on February 17, 2012
the only things that can be remotely considered sexual is that it's an adult-ish female using her mouth on things with bright makeup. Unless sliced fruit is your thing...
One could speak of Eve or Persephone, but I'm lowbrow, so I'm gonna reference a youtube result for banana demonstration.
posted by Diablevert at 9:32 PM on February 17, 2012
One could speak of Eve or Persephone, but I'm lowbrow, so I'm gonna reference a youtube result for banana demonstration.
posted by Diablevert at 9:32 PM on February 17, 2012
I wasn't sold on the concept until the pineapple rings. That picture made me smile ear to ear, so all the power to her.
posted by slimepuppy at 11:11 PM on February 17, 2012
posted by slimepuppy at 11:11 PM on February 17, 2012
It's a good thing I'm looking at this on Metafilter instead of Reddit so it's artistic and not perverted.
posted by gngstrMNKY at 12:16 AM on February 18, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by gngstrMNKY at 12:16 AM on February 18, 2012 [2 favorites]
Nice to see conventional themes so brilliantly executed.
posted by Meatafoecure at 2:05 AM on February 18, 2012
posted by Meatafoecure at 2:05 AM on February 18, 2012
Oh dear lord, at 16 I was playing (poorly) in the school band, watching Dr. Who on Friday nights, wishing I had a girlfriend (and not so many girl friends), and trying hard daily just not to embarrass myself. Thank god a few people seemed to think I could marginally act and speak in public or I would never have had a creative outlet. Give the girl a little credit for putting herself out there.
posted by Muddler at 6:52 AM on February 18, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by Muddler at 6:52 AM on February 18, 2012 [4 favorites]
Oh, these remind me of a portrait I took a few years ago: http://www.andrewvc.com/#view/photo-m-straw
posted by sp160n at 8:19 AM on February 18, 2012
posted by sp160n at 8:19 AM on February 18, 2012
I don't think the beauty is unconventional. I feel like some of them are way too obviously 'shopped. But also, since being in the middle of my art-based college education, I have to commend her. It's so easy to look at something and say "I could have made that." Because what she did was simple. But in reality, it's so, so, so hard to think of something simple, and interesting. And even harder to execute it well.
Also, if you look on her website, she plays with texture in really neat ways. Good for her, for al least trying to further her art.
posted by FirstMateKate at 4:25 PM on February 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
Also, if you look on her website, she plays with texture in really neat ways. Good for her, for al least trying to further her art.
posted by FirstMateKate at 4:25 PM on February 18, 2012 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I hate pretty much everything and I hate this less than usual. Interesting, particularly for a 16 year old.
posted by Justinian at 5:34 PM on February 18, 2012
posted by Justinian at 5:34 PM on February 18, 2012
Fizz: I'm not sure if I'm hungry or turned on? Can I be both?
She's 16 so no
Doesn't work that way, 2bucksplus. There's no freaking on/off switch on sexuality, and kids don't become adults magically on their 18th birthday.
She's sexualizing herself. It's sexy. She's a teenager. They do that. It's not wrong, nor is it wrong to react to it. It's only wrong to act on it... if you're not near her age, because of the inevitable and unlevelable power dynamic.
posted by IAmBroom at 9:44 AM on February 19, 2012 [1 favorite]
She's 16 so no
Doesn't work that way, 2bucksplus. There's no freaking on/off switch on sexuality, and kids don't become adults magically on their 18th birthday.
She's sexualizing herself. It's sexy. She's a teenager. They do that. It's not wrong, nor is it wrong to react to it. It's only wrong to act on it... if you're not near her age, because of the inevitable and unlevelable power dynamic.
posted by IAmBroom at 9:44 AM on February 19, 2012 [1 favorite]
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