“I need to talk to you about Makeup.”
“FINALLY!”
-Me asking Allison for an interview
I love visual art. Whether I be making it, talking about it, or simply appreciating it, visual art has found so many ways to express itself to me and to others. However, visual art and the community around it have gotten some criticism over the years for its somewhat exclusive nature, stemming from the price of artwork to the demands of finding meaning in and “reading” artwork. However, there is a section of the art community that tends to stand out on its own, away from the rest of the community, and is a form of art that I have yet to understand; Cosmetics.
Cosmetics are sort of a sub-subculture compared to the rest of the art world but have nonetheless been more widely accepted by the public over most visual artwork; makeup, hair products, and salons are all widely available. To help me understand the world of Cosmetics, I’ve brought in my sister Allison, who is poised to study Cosmetology at Humber College.
We discussed at length our shared experiences in the artworld, but also her own experiences with the cosmetic community. Something I found really interesting is how the main interactions people in the Cosmetic community have are based around teaching and learning new techniques. NikkieTutorials, an extremely popular online makeup guru, quite literally cantered her moniker around tutelage. This is not unlike many different contemporary artists that try to experiment with different styles and techniques.
However, probably the most intriguing thing about Cosmetics is that people still find meaning in the pieces they create. In his video “Tomatoes, or How Not To Define ‘Art’”, Ian Danskin of Innuendo Studios points to the purveying opinion in the art community; “it’s worth acknowledging that much of the work we do find meaningful would not exist without the art world’s accepted belief that nothing can’t be art.”
“And this is called Fountain, by Marcel Duchamp. It is widely regarded as one of the most important pieces of modern art of all time.”
“Kuya, it’s a toilet.”
“It’s a Urinal, actually.”
-Allison quickly realizing that modern art is kinda weird.
While not all makeup artists create pieces with deep philosophical messages behind them, they do put care into what certain looks are to make people feel. For my sister, her works aim to show not only a person’s beauty with makeup, but even without it. This is something many makeup artists do.
Look at Jeffree Star, who works with the fact that he has no eyebrows by experimenting with drawn eyebrows of different designs, or simply leaves them off altogether.
For my sister, she likes emphasize people’s eyes, allowing them to frame the face and carry the piece rather than simply be a part of it. In other words, meaning of these pieces were found in their material. The face itself has as much value as the makeup on it.
This is something I found rather profound, as this emphasis on material is equally held in all art. The piece below, White, is one I made with vinegar, lemon juice, and egg, because I thought these materials would bring physical (and too some extent) metaphorical layers and value to the canvas.
Yes, those are Eggs
There is equal value to the material as to the finished product, and the fact that the cosmetic community carries this over has given me a newfound appreciation for my materials. In a way, the materials are our message.
Citations
[Innuendo Studios]. (2017, January 2). Tomatoes, or How Not To Define “Art” [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmxIK9p0SNM
De Jager, N. (n.d.). Video on NikkieTutorials. Retrieved February 21, 2020, from http://www.nikkietutorials.com/site/
Photo References
DVSROSS. (2017, April 30). File:Jeffree Star crop.png. Retrieved February 21, 2020, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jeffree_Star_crop.png
Francis, G. (2007, December 12). File:Jeffree Star 2007.jpg. Retrieved February 21, 2020, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jeffree_Star_2007.jpg
Stieglitz, A. (1917). File:Duchamp Fountaine.jpg. Retrieved February 19, 2020, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Duchamp_Fountaine.jpg
Note: All other images not listed above have been captured, modified, and authored by me, Jonell Ebreo. All reused photos have been referenced. Approved under Copyright laws and permissions.
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Subculture Shock 
