The Odalisques are a series of horizontal, reclining female nudes that pay homage to the French Nineteenth Century voluptuaries frequently depicted in paintings, including Olympia by Manet. The Odalisques are all lying on quilts handmade by Marlos, and the elements of the photographs are stripped down to the figure, the ground and light. The perspective is flat and they are shot from a “god’s eye view”, hovering high above. They defy gravity. Their scale is critical. The quilts are reproduced 1:1, rendering the Odalisques life-sized so the viewer interacts with the photographs on the same scale that a real life encounter would produce. The Odalisques are beautiful and unapologetic
Obelisks & Odalisques at McKelvey Gallery, Youngstown, Ohio
Odalisques printed at Contact in The Brewery, Los Angeles, California
Installation Photographs by Fredrik Nilsen
See Opening Reception photographs by Fredrik Nilsen