There's something perennially charming about pinups. Sure, they're scantily clad (if they're clad at all!) and some people may take issue with the objectification issues they raise…
But they've nevertheless become an enduring symbol of youth, sexiness, and female confidence. After all, Hilda the lost pinup girl is one of our enduring favorites.
Artist Michael Mapes likes pinups, too, but to show his appreciation for them, he celebrates them in art that takes a slightly different approach — and takes "pin up" to its very literal end.
His work takes the classic pinup and presents it in a way that makes us really stop and look.
That's because instead of drawing, painting, or photographing them, he instead collects thousands of tiny objects, everything from small photos to pill capsules, cigarette butts, dried flowers, acrylic nails, and paint chips to create collages that make up the image.
The objects are carefully arranged and pinned to foam boards, just the way insect collectors pin their specimens for display.
The result is a clever, fascinating, and slightly unsettling rendition of a classic vintage pinup.
[H/T: Ufunk]
Michael Mapes creates these large collages using photos and everyday items to create his own versions of the classic pinup.
The effect of seeing the American staple that is the pinup displayed in this way is at once fascinating and a little disturbing.
Mapes uses repeated images in the form of smaller photos, sometimes of the same pinup, to create his collages. He also uses items like dried flowers, paint swatches, false eyelashes, and much more to add texture and unexpected elements to his pieces.
Stepping back, it's amazing how all of those little pieces come together to make a detailed whole.
But there's also something a little chilling about seeing a portrait like this seeming dissected and displayed. And Mapes ups the creep factor by referring to his collages as "specimens."
There's also a visual pun happening: the images of the women are called "pinups," and in Mapes' work, they've been literally pinned up.
And that's actually where the term "pinup" comes from: the pictures would be pinned to walls to be admired.
Mapes makes us think about the unsettling parallel between putting a scientific specimen up for display, and putting an image of a woman up for the same purpose.
He's asking us to consider why and how we objectify women and female sexuality, but at the same time, he's also showing us how complex those things really are when we take a closer look.
And the addition of the weirder materials, which include cigarette butts, hair, pills, fake fingernails, and makeup gives them added layers of meaning.
Looking at all the different elements is mesmerizing, and almost turns into something of a scavenger hunt!
They also show us that anything, when used in the right way, can become art, and that even the plainest, most ordinary things can make us think.
And pinups aren't the only collages Mapes has created. He's also done series using classic Dutch paintings, as well as other subjects.
Mapes says that his process for creating these images is "dissecting" the original image and breaking it down into its component parts, and then reassembling it in a new way. It's kind of like being a mad scientist, but with art!
You can see more of Mapes' work on his website, and check out all of the bizarre and wonderful details in his other collages.
And if you know someone who loves to collage, but wants to up the ante, SHARE his work as inspiration!
