Double Exposure Double Take
By Arushi Khosla June 16, 2010
Celebrity photographers extraordinaire Markus Klinko and Indrani + uber talented stylist to the stars, GK Reid talk pop culture, poverty and fundraising, their upcoming show and exhibition and more…
Gaga by Markus, GK and Indrani
In the last few years, we’ve been bombarded with a truck load of “reality shows” showing the inner workings of the fashion industry. You have, of course, The Rachel Zoe Project, the depressingly terrible Stylista, The City, the much lauded Kell on Earth etc. etc. In a time when these editor/styling/PR gigs are being glorified and glamorized to a ridiculous extent, everybody and their brother wants to work in fashion. I was lucky enough to be get to chat with the fabulous Markus, Indrani and GK just last week and here are some excerpts for your benefit!
My not-so-unusual first question was “Why is Double Exposure?”. Hardly innovative but imperative. Indrani and Markus believe that DE is going to be an extraordinary show because unlike most of it’s counterparts, it goes in depth into the actual creative process and the shit that goes down behind the scenes of a major shoot. Of course, the fact that it’s heavy on the celebrity a la Gaga, Bowie and B Knowles helps too. The show focuses on real artists creating real, well, art. It sucks in the audience and takes them behind the scenes to witness first hand as to how iconic art is really
Indrani, Markus and GK
created. The disruptions, the stress, the madness and eventually, the result. How often to we get to see that?
They don’t necessarily have all the answers, even after working together exclusively for 15 years, creating the images we know and love today. But even though they’re constantly figuring new ideas and methods out, they’ve clearly managed to master the method of really creating an image that connects and communicates and speaks to the people.The viewer. The audience. Their primary focus has and always will be, they promise, to create art.
Indrani is Indian, a fact that is quite evident from her name. Bengali, hailing from Kolkata to be specific. She, after having lived in New York City, constantly working with celebrities and in the fashion world for all these years, feels the need to connect herself to what is really important to keep her feet on the ground. Which is why she started a school with her dad for the poor kids of the area in Kolkata years ago. The Icons exhibition (more coming on that ahead) is in fact, a fundraiser for the school. She, along with her dad handles the administrative and fundraising work for the school, consistently working to promote literacy. Fashion can be so superficial, she muses, but this school is what keeps her focused. It educates an odd 300 children, many from refugee families. Kids that would otherwise be toiling away in fields or factories, withering away their lives and any chance of a comfortable one. In fact, upon opening the school, her father literally went door to door, asking parents to let at least one of their children be educated. The school has women’s literacy and vocational training programs, as well as one that targets the mothers of prospective students.
In fact, the three journeyed to India a while back (a trip that was vividly captured by the Bravo! TV cameras for Double Exposure, the reality show). She laughs “it was an exceedingly dramatic time. I wanted to bring Markus here since, ever. And he was thrown totally out of his comfort zone”. I’m sure that’ll make for great entertainment.
Why were they here? Well, Fern Mallis, former president of IMG got them in touch with design Thuy and they collaborated and the she loved the idea of shooting at Indrani’s ancestral home in Kolkata.
The ex couple (yep) go and prove the clichéd “let’s be friends” supposed myth true, continuing to be friends and partners in work even after going their separate ways romantically after all these years. Their upcoming exhibition (on the same day as the premier of the show), ICONS is on the 16th, showcasing years and years worth of iconic prints. Think Mariah Carey, Rihanna, Beyonce, Carla Bruni, Nelly Furtado, Dita Von Teese and a scarily large number of more. Preceding their exhibition last year at LA, this one has over 50 prints and is being held in, get this, a former synagogue in downtown Manhattan “Angel Orensanz”. In fact, there have been many industry events held there including shows of the late Alexander McQueen (R.I.P Lee) and a variety of high profile parties. It also has a bevy of impressive sponsors; Covergirl, Absolut, Runway magazine, Smashbox, etc, etc.
The prints are a ridiculous 7 feet tall, in gold frames and the whole shebang.
Naomi Campbell by Markus and Indrani
The night’s event is all glitz and glam, filled with a mélange of celebrities and suchlike but it also begs a deeper question: Are celebrities the new gods? The synagogue setting with pictures of gods and goddesses galore juxtaposes with the artwork of celebrities surrounding them, deepening and inspiring the question.
Of course, after the Bravo!TV premiere of the show, the media will come gushing in and be able to witness the art meets fashion event. GK, friend and stylist is not exclusively their partner but works with them on 85% of their biggest projects. He has been styling for them for *wait for it* 9 years. Carmen Electra, Laetitia Casta, yada yada.
He’s also done album covers like Rihanna’s Good Girls Gone Bad and music videos like Nelly Furtado’s “Say it Right” and Puff Daddy’s “About Last Night”. He’s worked with Britney Spears for her latest album, coming up with a brilliant concept in a shockingly few days (two, to be exact).
Moving on, I asked Indrani what happens when she and Markus have ideas/concepts that are clashing or diametrically opposing. I think she laughed for a good 5 minutes and said “well, we’re absolute opposites. So that’s the case in EVERY case”. If you watch the First Look Video here, you get the gist of it. Indrani, formerly a model moved from in front of the lens to behind the lens 15 years ago after meeting Markus and realizing she only got into modeling because she wanted to understand photography. Oh, and she went to Princeton. Yep. *I’m kind of in awe and fangirling so pardon my lack of vocabulary”.
They believe new age photography is the greatest form of art because unlike other kinds, it’s a collaborative one. It’s a whole bunch of artists coming together to create one major masterpiece.
Indrani, herself being thrown into controversy (because apparently she’s dating Lindsay Lohan. Real nice, paps), understands a thing or two about the force that we call Celebrity. She feels people like to believe what they want to believe about celebrities rather than what’s really true. Because it’s just not exciting or scandalous enough if celebrities are just, well, normal, regular people at the end of the day, all the glamour aside. But we have an interesting relationship with them, don’t we? The public wants to emulate them, be them, know every little minute detail about them but we also want to trash them to the hilt.
Whatever you might think, Markus, Indrani and GK are celebrities in their own right. And who doesn’t want to watch 3 professionals nearly biting each others’ heads off in high stress environments?
Tune into Bravo! TV to watch the premier on the 16th!
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Submitted on June 16, 2010 in Celebrity Fashion, Curls, Cosmetics, & Clothes, Industry News, Model Intelligence, Who's Who.
Arushi is a fashion enthusiast from Delhi, India with an undying passion for all things fabulous.. She believes strongly in both the art and business sides of the fashion industry and is an ardent style blogger on her blog http://www.FabBlab.blogspot.com In addition, she also blogs for Vogue India and works for many a fashion publication including Haute Mimi International, Glossy magazine and Digital Temple magazine, etc. Tom Ford is more of an icon to her than Tom Hanks. Enough said.
Arushi Khosla has contributed 32 articles to Models & Moguls.
