Russian photographer Alexander Khokhlov‘s new series “Weird Beauty” in collaboration with wonderful make-up artist Valeriya Kutsan displays a new approach to beauty through brilliant black and white imagery. Instead of the natural beauty of the model, the emphasis is put on various familiar shapes which are painted on the model’s face, also creating a brilliant optical illusion. The model’s face is both a canvas and a key element in giving an expression to a simple symbol or in building the impression of illusion. On these human canvases evolve symbols ranging from a Mikey Mouse, to the QR code sign, the Wi-fi sign, or just a pulse sign. Alexander was so kind as to share his thoughts on the project with Molempire:

In these series we decided to deny any color except black and white to make more accent on forms and volume. The experiment should prove that usual simple forms, familiar things or characters can be a main part of wonderful beauty looks. Model faces in this project are not just canvases for the face-arts – they play their own role in each photo with different parts.

Although the project is still work in progress, it proves that in photography and beauty just as in fashion, less is more. Such a simple, but powerful concept. The final project will contain 15 photos and will be officially presented in Moscow in October.

Photos are used with permission of Alexander Khokhlov