Rikki Kasso. Tell me you don't love me as I've never asked anything of you
Rikki Kasso. Foto
http://rikkikasso.com
Text: Joan Cornelius Toset
Traduction: Anna Holloway
The photography of Rikki Kasso (1979, New York) deserves a cage with pride of place in the artistic zoo we are surrounded by. The freedom that Kasso's work conveys is contagious and the courage that emanates from his photos is admirable. What's more, the juxtaposition of the traditional and the avant-garde that drives his work reveals a determination that will undoubtedly unnerve and astonish you when you see that some animals break through the bars, reject the circus and a find a way out or, at least, an alternative to reality.
Rikki Kasso. Foto
http://rikkikasso.com
Text: Joan Cornelius Toset
Traduction: Anna Holloway
The photography of Rikki Kasso (1979, New York) deserves a cage with pride of place in the artistic zoo we are surrounded by. The freedom that Kasso's work conveys is contagious and the courage that emanates from his photos is admirable. What's more, the juxtaposition of the traditional and the avant-garde that drives his work reveals a determination that will undoubtedly unnerve and astonish you when you see that some animals break through the bars, reject the circus and a find a way out or, at least, an alternative to reality.
Rikki Kasso is a prolific creator, photographer, fashion designer, video director who has also directed a film. Whatever the genre, his work is notably original.
His collection of photos entitled "Tokyo Undressed" is set in the city if Tokyo, as the title suggests, and the central theme is sensuality portrayed in the female form. Through his lens, Kassi meticulously and irreverently analyses the physical form and its multiple possibilities for expression, increasing its potential with his choice of black and white photography.
All sorts of contradictions are brought to light. And this is one of the great achievements of his work. Sexual arousal arises from compassion or naivety. Images of seemingly every day settings appear inhospitable or unrecognisable. There is no censure. Sex is not hidden, there is no guilt, neither is it idolised nor vulgarised. It is presented in all its complexity and ambiguity.
And that leads me to another virtue of Kassi's work: ambiguity. This does not mean denying or underestimating logic or even rejecting it as some modern day cheap gurus may do. It is simply a means of revealing the complexity inherent in our human condition and respecting it.
Art claims its own ground, its own voice. Reason, as fundamental and indispensable as it is, has its own message: there is nothing more rational than knowing the very limits of reason.
What's mine is mine and what's yours is yours.
It is definitely a driving force that wakes me up most days, but there are days or even weeks where I feel totally asexual.
In Your work?
The same goes for my work. It always a fine mix of my own personal delicacies.
Which image turns You on?
Seductive smiles.
Where did You have Your first sexual experience?
In my own apartment when I was 15, it was to be a 3 some but I got too nervous and took just one.
Which food do You "devour" with the greatest pleasure?
Tofu.
Do You want to say anything else?
Bad things feel good!
His collection of photos entitled "Tokyo Undressed" is set in the city if Tokyo, as the title suggests, and the central theme is sensuality portrayed in the female form. Through his lens, Kassi meticulously and irreverently analyses the physical form and its multiple possibilities for expression, increasing its potential with his choice of black and white photography.
All sorts of contradictions are brought to light. And this is one of the great achievements of his work. Sexual arousal arises from compassion or naivety. Images of seemingly every day settings appear inhospitable or unrecognisable. There is no censure. Sex is not hidden, there is no guilt, neither is it idolised nor vulgarised. It is presented in all its complexity and ambiguity.
And that leads me to another virtue of Kassi's work: ambiguity. This does not mean denying or underestimating logic or even rejecting it as some modern day cheap gurus may do. It is simply a means of revealing the complexity inherent in our human condition and respecting it.
Art claims its own ground, its own voice. Reason, as fundamental and indispensable as it is, has its own message: there is nothing more rational than knowing the very limits of reason.
What's mine is mine and what's yours is yours.
It is definitely a driving force that wakes me up most days, but there are days or even weeks where I feel totally asexual.
In Your work?
The same goes for my work. It always a fine mix of my own personal delicacies.
Which image turns You on?
Seductive smiles.
Where did You have Your first sexual experience?
In my own apartment when I was 15, it was to be a 3 some but I got too nervous and took just one.
Which food do You "devour" with the greatest pleasure?
Tofu.
Do You want to say anything else?
Bad things feel good!
