This Instagrammer Is Bringing Art to Life in Quarantine

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Are you bored in lockdown? Of course you are! We’re all getting sick of staring at our four walls. Some of us are using quarantine a bit more productively than others, though. Just look at the amazing art reproductions being done on Instagram by performer and pinup model, Miss Anne Mary!

Check out what she’s doing from her NYC apartment:

courtesy @missannemary on Instagram; original art is from Art is: Burlesque Grotesque by Juan Jesús Martínez

I was able to ask Anne Mary a bit about her project, and after learning how she’s doing this I’m even more impressed! She’s not doing this with a complex setup of cameras, or professional makeup artists. Anne Mary is doing these alone, with an iPhone 11 in selfie mode on a tripod. The backgrounds and props are made with what she has around; wrapping paper, a black trash bag, etc. Her goal is to make this something fun with objects she has around, and if she can’t easily recreate the props and accessories, she skips the art and saves it for when she’ll have what’s needed. Her goal is to work on an art recreation every day, though it doesn’t always happen.

Courtesy @missannemary on Instagram; original art by Cindy Sherman

Anne Mary told me she’s not a professional makeup artist, so figuring out the makeup (again, on her own!) is what usually takes the most time. Sometimes it’s just learning which makeup to use to contour her face to match the original art, and sometimes it means glueing prosthetics or props to herself. It’s a level of dedication above and beyond most Instagram selfies!

Image courtesy @missannemary on Instagram; original artist is Guim Tió

There’s no specific artist or style she’s aiming to emulate, Anne Mary just picks what she likes and then winnows it down based on what she has on hand for the reconstruction. She specifically said her goal was to evoke a reaction from people; she doesn’t want someone scrolling through and thinking “oh, that’s pretty”, she’s looking for bright colors or a specific look or concept that will grab your attention and make you feel something. The main criteria that disqualify art choices for her are cultural appropriation (she said she would love to recreate something like Frida Kahlo, but felt that as a white woman it wouldn’t be appropriate), as well as anything that might offend someone’s beliefs. She’s looking to get your attention and highlight art, but not be shocking for the sake of it.

Be sure to browse her Instagram for more of her phenomenal recreations. They’re amazing, and add a bit of art to days that are otherwise all starting to blend together! Please note that some of her non-art Instagram posts are potentially NSFW since they do feature her performances and pinup work.

Miss Anne Mary on Instagram

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About the Author

Zek
Zek has been a gadget fiend for a long time, going back to their first PDA (a Palm M100). They quickly went from researching what PDA to buy to following tech news closely and keeping up with the latest and greatest stuff. They love writing about ebooks because they combine their two favorite activities; reading anything and everything, and talking about fun new tech toys. What could be better?