Venus Project
what is it?
this is an art project celebrating the divine love and beauty that’s embodied in every one of us, regardless of who we are or where we live or what we look like. (if divinity isn’t your thing then think of it as an affirmation that we’re all worthy of love.)
(alternately: you don’t have to be skinny and white and female-presenting to be the embodiment of beauty.)
(but also you can be! the point is that this is inclusive, not exclusive.)
this will be a collection of photos (definitely a book, possibly an accompanying exhibition) of hundreds of different people in their own spaces posing in a way that evokes or is inspired by venus in botticelli’s painting the birth of venus.
who can be part of it?
everyone!
can i be part of it?
yes! everyone is welcome. seriously, everyone. whoever you are, if you want to be involved please reach out. and spread the word! tell your friends, tell your parents, tell your grandparents!
do i have to be naked?
for this project, yes. if you’re not comfortable with that then this isn’t the project for you, and that’s totally fine! don’t push yourself into it — there’s no prize for pushing through discomfort.
(if you’re not comfortable shooting naked but you’re feeling left out and want to do a not-for-this-project shoot with your clothes on, just reach out!)
how exact a recreation are you looking for?
not very. don’t rent a clamshell or buy a wig. as long as one hand is generally around your chest and one hand is generally around your crotch/thigh the idea will come across. don’t get hung up on exactness. (her legs make absolutely no sense, don’t even try.)
can i use props?
i’m generally anti-prop, but i won’t stop you.
(one of the joys of any project like this is the collaboration, and part of a good collaboration is expanding each other’s vision and consciousness. one of the first shoots i did for this was with a comic genius who wore a space helmet and fuzzy slippers and nothing else and it was the venus i never knew i needed: so do what brings you joy and chances are you’ll prove me wrong.)
can i be outdoors?
right now i want to keep everything inside for consistency.
what if my space is messy and/or unphotogenic?
that’s great! part of the fun of this is creating art from our everyday living spaces. don’t worry if your place is a mess.
what if i hate the pictures or change my mind after the shoot?
i’ll never ever use anything we shoot without your permission. if you hate ’em all we can reshoot — and if you decide you don’t want the photos used for anything that’s ok, too.
why’d you choose this painting?
because of how recognizable it is and what it represents. it’s so strongly associated with a myriad of “ideals” — of western art, of beauty, of sexual desirablity, etc — and i want to fuck that up because the idea of an ideal is stupid and limiting. (sorry, plato.)
how do i become a part of it?
email me or DM me on ig.
forrestleophotos@gmail.com, @forrestleophotos
how does it work?
here’s the short version:
you’ll download an app called Clos. it works like facetime — we’ll use it to hop on a video call — but it lets me take high res photos on your phone. we’ll find a framing we both like, you’ll prop your phone against something, then get in front of it and become venus. i’ll snap some photos. after the shoot i’ll send you all the photos we take, as well as a handful of edits that jump out at me.
how long does it take?
shoots for this project tend to take anywhere between about fifteen minutes and an hour, depending on how you want to do it. some people strike the pose, hold it while i take five or ten pictures, and we call it a day; others treat the whole thing as more of an exploration and movement exercise, coming in and out of the pose and seeing how it evolves. both are totally valid and get great results.
does it cost anything?
nope, all shoots for this project are free.
will i get paid?
maybe. i’m going to collect some of these photos into a book. all profits from the book and any potential exhibition will be split 50/50 between me and anyone whose photos i end up using. (i’ll never use any photos without your written permission.)
