minerals
american minerals | japanese minerals
In my series “Minerals,” I point to the absurdity of objectification and stereotyping by reducing celebrities to their most salient characteristics. Using mineralogy as a framework, I assign famous faces to represent mineral–and human–properties such as color (Barry White), hardness (Clint Eastwood) and cleavage (Dolly Parton). The pairings are sometimes humorous or infuriating; that is, once they become explicit. Like implicit bias, the small face patterns in the background are indiscernible at first glance because the focal point, a large shape in the center, dominates the composition. First developed based on American culture, the Minerals series was later redeveloped using faces that are famous in Japan, proving that regardless of culture, a cliché, a stereotype or a façade always hides something more complex.
The Mineralogical Scales (American Interpretation):
High Hardness: Clint Eastwood, the quintessential tough guy in American cinema
Low Hardness: Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, fictional marshmallow brand mascot
High Color: Barry White, African-American soul musician
Low Color: Jack Black, white American actor
High Streak (true color): Severus Snape, hard-to-pin character from the Harry Potter series
Low Streak (true color): Judas Iscariot, double-crossing disciple of Christ
High Transparency: Abraham Lincoln, American president with the nickname “Honest Abe”
Low Transparency: Kim Jong Il, North Korean dictator
High Luster (diamond-like): Elizabeth Taylor, actress known for her love of diamonds
Low Luster (greasy): Danny Zuko, oily-haired main character from the musical “Grease”
High Cleavage: Dolly Parton, buxom singer-songwriter
Low Cleavage: Keira Knightley, lithe actress with a flat chest
High Habit/Form (shape): Chris Christie, defiantly obese politician
Low Habit/Form (shape): Kate Moss, supermodel waif of the 1990s
High Density: Paris Hilton, heiress and dumb blonde archetype
Low Density: Albert Einstein, scientist whose name is synonymous with intelligence
High Symmetry: Parvati, many-armed Hindu goddess
Low Symmetry: Owen Wilson, crooked-nosed actor
High Chemistry: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, A-list couple famous for their romance
Low Chemistry: Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn, taboo couple who were once stepfather and stepdaughter