Hyper-Pictoralism 

Petrina Hicks is an Australian photographer that creates immediately alluring hyper-real portraits and still lives. Their unique quality simultaneously attracts yet repulses, quietly and subtly exploring the relationship between beauty, representation and consumption. In her produce there is a distinct style created from handling of the commercial advertising aesthetic, with subtle injections of surrealism and grotesque. From this she creates works that subvert the advertising industry’s language. The works featuring unflawed youths in superficial studio lighting challenges notions of idealised beauty and ultimately linking consumption to corruption.

Hick’s explores duality within her images. On the surface the image has one appearance, usually a perfect, polished hyper-real commercial look, however through manipulation of various and an unclear message is punctuated by dark or disturbing suggestions. A tension arises between the surface and the content that creates a kind of push-pull effect, “[the] image doesn't deliver the feeling it promises...like a beautifully gift-wrapped parcel but inside is something disturbing." From this tension and subtly sexualisation, she mocks and highlights the use of tools and language of the advertising industry.

 

Within an untitled photograph from Beautiful Creatures, a group of flawless teenage girls examine curiously and ritualistically a wound on another female’s stomach. The image contains this subtle horror within this otherwise pristine setting. The teenagers themselves are reminiscent of a jeans advertisement, however from the wound an unclear and tense situation is created. The girls attempt to comprehend and understand the existence of imperfections. This difficultly or even repulse towards the wound mocks the idealised image the commercial industry creates. The use of teenagers with flawless image also brings light the magnitude of perfection in the cultural and social values of our society and how media outlets such as advertisements take advantage of it.

The asymmetrical photograph is shot using a medium formal camera on film, like all her photos, which are shot on film. Hicks stated that film inspired her to be a photographer, resulting in more satisfaction with film than to a digital camera. From the film, high-resolution scans are created, which are then digitally manipulated in postproduction. Hicks explains the manipulation using Photoshop, describing that “without [it] I would be unable to create this tension... and the more disturbing layers within. I use [it] lightly though, with as minimal manipulation as possible.” The photographs are quickly manipulated, with adjustments and special effects placed in to achieve her optimal look.

 

The process of creating the photos is much more time consuming. Conceiving the content of her images typically takes the span of several months, to which she then sources models, wardrobe, props, objects, backgrounds, and animals. Decisions on lighting, techniques, and etcetera are made, to which then is “the actual shooting stage… once all of the elements are arranged in front of my lens. Then of course, on the actual photo shoot day I can begin with the ideas in mind, but often have to adjust and vary them as I begin to see what is translating well as a photograph, and what doesn’t.” Use of colour is also highly important, with Hick’s using of it and other elements of composition to create a strong symbolic image. For Every Rose has its Thorn, she comments on the choice of elements within the composition, “[it’s] oversaturated with female symbolism: pink colours, soft pink wool sweater, beige pantyhose, lace. I think I was trying to play with obvious female symbolism here, almost to the point where it may make the viewer feel nauseous.” Within the composition emphasis is put onto the wound. The overall structure of the photograph is constructed to make the viewer discomforted and even questioning, trying to come to a conclusion on what the work is conveying.

 

Petrina Hicks explores notions of advertising language and overall perfectionism and beauty. She brings light on social issues through her distinct and confronting work, mocking the use of sexuality as a tool by the advertising industry.