Sophisticated Selfies

From Rihanna to Shane Warne, it seems everyone has been keen to share their selfies online. Some are better than others, but none are as brilliant as the work of Anja Niemi.  She photographs herself as a number of characters, often copying herself and imposing several self-images onto one frame, giving the illusion that there are two or more people captured in a photo. Her latest exhibition, which just closed in the Little Black Gallery in Chelsea, http://www.thelittleblackgallery.com/shows/anja-niemi-starlets consists of several voguish compositions, entitled `Starlets`.

We meet the Bride, who is demurely perched on a chair, with a twin representation of her head lying on the floor, close to the folds of her white dress. It may sound ghoulish, but is – in fact – a refined and highly stylised image. The Socialite, captured in a bathtub, against a backdrop of a red wall, has a mirror image of herself peering from the other end of the bath. Then, there is The Mistress (two of them in one photograph), The Wife (again, a double image), and The Secretary, among other quirky personalities.

My favourite – however – is The Taxidermist – I appreciate the simplicity of it, which gives the viewer a chance to create his own story, while enjoying the artistry of this photograph. The light and a reflection of a `street life` are not part of Anja`s composition, but a result of my amateurish photography skills.  

To view Anja Niemi outstanding photographs, please visit:

http://www.thelittleblackgallery.com/shows/anja-niemi-starlets