When the kiss also becomes art

Jedeiah Johnson is a 34-year-old photographer from Chicago, Illinois, USA. He recently shot a group of unique and novel photos in The Makeout Project. In the photo, people have obvious hickeys on their lips. It is a lip mark that photographer Johnson kisses people after applying his thick lipstick on his lips. The artist himself is not simply seeking passion and excitement but he wants to use such a physical contact to deepen the understanding and understanding between people.

From Yves Klein's nude woman, who danced with blue paint on the canvas under music, to the photographs of criminals photographed by Andy Warhol, contemporary works of art are sometimes seen by some as full. Free and novel, while others feel unacceptable. His artistic plan often arouses people's misunderstandings. Some people think that the hand that he placed on the neck of the participant in the photograph is too strong and seems unreasonable and rude. In fact, Johnson's arm in the picture is actually gently holding the model's neck. Although the subject of the shooting will be informed in advance of what will happen before the shooting, there will be different situations when he kisses.

The group of photographs created by Jedi Dyer Johnson's art program participant Jedi Dyer Johnson include more than 100 people. Men, women and women are young and old. A large part of these people are his friends. The people who were kissed showed a variety of reactions. Some were surprised, some were shocked, some were confused, some were helpless, some were happy, and some had special narrative features, such as a woman holding A baby, her partner appeared in the corner of the picture. “This plan comes from a sudden inspiration. Lipstick will be obvious on the face, it is also a way to express emotions, communicate, and communicate a lot of information. In this photographic project, my greatest emphasis is on The interaction between different people and the valuable experience shared with my subjects.”

At the beginning he would kiss his friend first when he was gathering with friends, and then take pictures. This way, many people can understand that he is writing art and not easily misunderstood. Later, his artistic creation involved more and more participants. He did not just look for those beautiful women. He did not want people to misunderstand that he was using the banner of art to find an excuse for his approaching beauty, although he felt that there was no problem with that. , but he does not want to be such an artist. He has his own principles and pursuits. "Usually I was in a dominant position when I was performing this art project, but sometimes my dominance was lost when the participants were men. I usually have no control over them."

After taking more than one hundred photographs, Johnson’s artistic plan continues. He said: “There are still many things to discover and experience. I want to kiss old people who have experienced many years of vicissitudes and want to kiss those beginnings. Babies who come to earth want to kiss everyone, use kisses and love to eliminate the separation and indifference between people, and bring exchange, hope and peace."

These photographs of Johnson are very reminiscent of the decorative painting “Kiss” of the Vienna Secession, the marble sculpture “Kiss” of Rodin, and the work of the Golden Lion award winner Tino Segal of the Venice Biennale.” kiss". Whether it is a pair of lovers kissing in Klimt's golden painting, a kiss of soft love in marble, or a kiss without physical contact brought on by two performers, it expresses human eternal emotions. It is also the expression of lipstick in Johnson's photography. Kiss breaks the diaphragm and ice between people. It is the release of passion, the impulse of love, and the return of human nature.