BY: LORAL AMIR AND GIGI ARTZI
In the series “Downtown Divas” Loral Amir and Gigi Ben Artzi photographed heroin-addicted Russian prostitutes that they found beneath a bridge, in a city that for the safety of the women, must remain unnamed.
Heroin chic was popularized in fashion during mid 1990s. The look was a reaction against vivacious conventions of models and instead favored models that were overly skinny, with pale skin, angular bone structure and dark bags under the eyes.
“What drew us to this project is the ex-territorial status of these women as part of a group that exists outside society but is in fact society’s own product. Beyond the aesthetic challenge, we wanted to integrate these women back into society and ignore that ‘drug addict’ tag that they carry around. ‘Heroin Chic’ may look glamorous in fashion editorials but when you take real heroin addicts who have the same characteristics as these models (…) the contrast is absolutely astounding.”
-Amir and Artzi
In many ways Downtown Divas subverts the notion of “heroin chic”, a branding tactic that many in the fashioning industry are profiting off of. These photos show you what the real thing actually looks like: blown veins, bruises, and all.
Photo source: BulletMedia.com
