In Vintage Baby, a photography series that opened at The Dunes in May, female models pose in front of antique furniture and decorative architecture, coquettish looks on their faces reminiscent of a young Marlene Dietrich. They wear pearls, high heels and silk gloves; the sepia-like color palette is broken only by the striking red of their lips. One almost expects to see small letters marking each piece of vintage lingerie to be ordered from a catalog. Decorative frames added in Photoshop are convincing enough to fool several viewers, even after a second and third look. All of this serves to highlight photographer Violetta Markelou’s favorite aspect of the fashion world: fantasy.
“I think people need fantasy in their lives,” says Markelou. “The world is too chaotic not to immerse yourself in some kind of escape.” Making most of her living through commercial photography and makeup work, Markelou has been increasingly branching out into the art world in order to do more fashion-oriented work. If the photos won’t end up in the pages of a magazine, perhaps they can hang on someone’s wall.
Though her speech still carries a hint of her native Greece, Markelou has lived in the US since she was a young child, earning citizenship at the age of seven. Growing up in the D.C. area, she began to take an interest in fashion magazines when she was 10 years old. “I didn't look at them like I wanted to be that thin or skinny or beautiful,” she says. “I loved the image, I loved the location, I loved what [the model] was wearing.”
After her lack of draftsmanship ended her fantasy of becoming a fashion designer, she took up photography in high school, shooting portraits of her friends and family in the style of the fashion magazines she loved. At the encouragement from several teachers, she eventually went on to study photography at UMBC, supporting herself by working as a makeup artist for cosmetics companies and day spas. Eventually she began interning with local photographer Len Rizzi, who still serves as her mentor today.
Making her studio at artdc Gallery in Hyattsville’s Arts District, Markelou uses the space for her own projects as well as for some of her commercial work, including the occasional makeup lesson. The floor-to-ceiling windows allow plenty of daylight—her preferred light source—and sometimes she even uses the gallery’s artwork as a background.
After fashion, Markelou’s next big obsession is food. “I love shooting food,” she says. “It’s like a work of art, especially when you have a great chef.” In 2008 she did a series called I AM SEXY, depicting models covered in attractive food items and literally served up on a platter, playing with the juxtaposition of food and seduction. She mulls over ideas to push the concept further, such as close-ups of models covered in processed foods—”food products,” she scoffs—or eating delicacies like octopus or snails that she finds delicious but visually revolting. But here she’s conflicted, trying to balance the statements she wants to make with her desire to create images that are aesthetically pleasing. (She also notes the added challenge of not appearing to imitate Victoria F. Gaitán.)
For her new series, Markelou is returning to film, using an 8x10 camera borrowed from Rizzi. Choosing as models women she knows from everyday life—as much for their personal qualities as for their physical beauty, she says—she photographs them close up in a bare setting, forgoing the glamorous wardrobe and evocative backgrounds. “This project is very personal,” she says. “These people are really special and I want to put them in the limelight.” Avoiding any retouching, she attempts to highlight the everyday beauty that the world might miss.
Violetta Markelou’s work will be on display at artdc Gallery’s Fashion In Art from Aug. 13 - Sep. 4, with an opening reception to be held on Saturday, Aug. 13 from 7-10 p.m. Selections from her Vintage Baby series are planned to be on display at Busboys and Poets’ 14th Street location beginning in late August or early September.
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