Michelle Mildenhall
Mr. Kinski (Klaus Kinski)
2020

About the Item

Michelle Mildenhall Mr. Kinski (Klaus Kinski) UV print with a gloss varnish on Hahnemühle Velvet Year: 2020 Signed and numbered by hand Edition: 20 Size: 23.8 × 17.2 inches COA provided *Minute crease right, center/top within blackish area - hardly noticeable (see images) Michelle was born in Wiltshire (U.K.) and studied textiles and surface pattern at Somerset College of arts. This is where she first experimented with latex as a medium for her art. After finishing she moved to London where she worked for 12 years as a commercial graphic artist, it was then she had the idea of using latex to creating something unique in the art world. “The idea came in a flash of inspiration while I was working on a latex outfit for myself” Michelle’s work is highly individual, each portrait is meticulously constructed using sheet latex and the artist has literally carved a unique niche with her work, which not only appeals to art lovers but to rubber fetishists too. The exact proportions of cut latex shapes are layered to create instantly recognisable portraits with a nod to pop art with expanses of colour. Her influences include Robert Mapplethorpe, Ellen von Unwerth, Pop Art, Bauhaus, Erte, Aubrey Beardsley and Cornelius Makkink and to name a few, but she finds inspiration from everywhere, from Torture Garden to Typography! Michelle continues ”My current series of portraits are a culmination of my study of the medium and my experiences as a latex fetishist. My work has developed around the limitations and nature of the material resulting in a very distinctive use of positive/negative space and colour, each piece becoming defined and fetishized via its latex conceptualisation” She takes on commissions and provides a highly individual portrait service working closely with her clients to create something that both client and artist can feel passionate about. Michelle’s most successful creations to date are her QE1 and QE2 portraits. They depict Her Majesty sporting two subversive looks. The first sees her in full latex hood with collar and crown, the second in just the collar and crown. The prints have Michelle’s trademark pop art style and have made it onto the front cover of Skin Two, an internationally distributed fetish magazine. She has sold pieces worldwide and is gaining widespread attention for her provocative art work, exhibiting in many prestigious galleries including the Saatchi Gallery, London; La Luz De Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles and Sin City Gallery in Las Vegas.

Creator:

Michelle Mildenhall

Creation Year:

2020

Dimensions:

Height: 23.8 in (60.46 cm)Width: 17.2 in (43.69 cm)

Medium:

Varnish,Archival Paper,Digital Pigment

Movement & Style:

Contemporary

Period:

2010-