The Russian photographer Oleg Dou creates pale portraits of ethereal creatures through the digital photo-manipulation. Once transformed, his photos’ subjects turn out to be artificial, stylized and plastic.
Initially inspired by a 19th-century tradition of capturing child funeral portraits, for which the body would be dressed in costume and prepared in intricate detail, Dou is interested in producing images that are both alluring and unsettling.
“I am looking for something bordering between the beautiful and the repulsive, living and dead. I want to attain the feeling of presence one can get when walking by a plastic manikin…”
Discovered in 2006 by Liza Fetissova, Oleg Dou is represented today by galleries in France, Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, Russia and United States. Oleg Dou lives and works in Moscow.
Images courtesy of Oleg Dou
Discover: olegdou.com