Photo Flash: Supermodel Takes Part in Controversial Collaboration with Artist Chemical X
By: BWW News Desk Sep. 22, 2017
The world's most famous supermodel is the centre piece of a new £1m artwork featuring more than seven thousand 'ecstasy' pills by controversial contemporary artist Chemical X. The work called "The Spirit Of Ecstasy" is a collaboration between, the model, Chemical X and fellow artist Schoony and will feature in Chemical X's upcoming solo show "CX300" at a secret location in London later this month. Scroll down for a sneak peek at the work!
The British model and actress, who is a fan of Chemical X's and already collects his work, has been identically recreated - as a hyperreal silicone and fibre glass model, suspended into five sheets of acrylic surrounded by a halo of 7,254 meticulously hand placed pills.
She was digitally scanned posing in position with her hands and feet life cast. Then her head and body were 3D printed to make the master model from which the mould was created. Her head, hands, legs and feet are silicone which have been painted to give an ultra-realistic flesh finish.
Her famously distinctive eyebrows were painstakingly put in individually, strand by strand over several weeks, her dress was designed specifically for the piece and every one of her unique tattoos have been replicated perfectly to ensure she looks totally lifelike.
The show itself will see 300 guests hand-picked from the worlds of film, music and art to be the first - and last - people to see 16 original works worth more than £2.5m in value, 15 of which are brand new and have never been seen in public before - and will never be exhibited together again. The chosen few will also be treated to a DJ set by Orbital's Phil Hartnoll.
Chemical X used as many as 17,000 pills in each piece and in total there are more than 125,000 pills in the show.
Guests won't be told of the event's location until the evening of the show in an homage to the acid house rave scene of the 80s and 90s when Chemical X began by designing the original Ministry Of Sound logo 25 years ago - the handmade original will be on display at the show.
He has also collaborated with young British artist Hayden Kays on a large piece called "Dollar, Euro, X, Yen." This extraordinary work has every element gold plated in 24 carat gold and has been engraved with Hayden's signature skulls.
Chemical X is a pseudonym - he prefers anonymity not because his work is provocative but because he wants it to be more important than the artist that created it. He has courted controversy throughout his career but maintains he makes and sells art, nothing more nothing less.
Chemical said "Art reflects society back on itself but that should be in an engaging and thought-provoking way. My work is about potential suspended in an everlasting moment, allowing the viewer to see what has been, what is and what could be - all in the same instant."
He has worked with Banksy on the Greenpeace "Save or Delete" campaign and devised and curated the "Long Life" art tour working with Damien Hirst and Jamie Hewlett (Gorillaz). He worked on the infamous and subsequently banned board game, "The Rave Game".
His work is sought-after by celebrities - Fatboy Slim is a fan and has been including Chemical X's work in the stunning visuals for his live shows around the globe.
Hoping to raise money as well as awareness, the group have pledged a percentage of the sale price of "The Spirit Of Ecstasy" to be donated to the charity The Loop, whose team of volunteers attend festivals and clubs and provide free drug safety testing, welfare and harm reduction services.
Photo Credit: Kenny McCraken
Chemical X's 'The Spirit Of Ecstasy'
Chemical X's 'The Spirit Of Ecstasy'
Chemical X's 'The Spirit Of Ecstasy'
Chemical X's 'The Spirit Of Ecstasy'
Chemical X's 'The Spirit Of Ecstasy'
Chemical X's 'The Spirit Of Ecstasy'
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