Ellen Stagg "Melting Flesh" @ Fuse Gallery May 22, 2010

“Melting Flesh”
Photographs by Ellen Stagg
A phantasmagoric mix of bodies, light, sex, and ether reside in Ellen Stagg’s multi-exposed photographs. Stagg embraces the unexpected and opts for a toy Holga camera using film and Polaroid over the manufactured guise of digital. The multiple exposures cause the women's nude bodies to melt into one another as well as their surroundings. The fluid nature of the images – produced through the manipulation of light leaks, finger prints and film type – offers the viewer
a surreal visual that is simultaneously in flux and static. Each piece is presented in a unique steel frame constructed by metalsmith Sullivan Walsh.

Ellen Stagg began shooting photos at 16 years old, and instantly fell in love with the art form. She has a BFA in Photography from the School of Visual Arts and is currently based in New York. As a professional photographer, she has worked extensively in advertising and fashion. Stagg has always been drawn to the erotic. Her muse, model Justine Joli, introduced Stagg to many models from the adult industry. Too “artsy” for porn magazines and too “adult” for commercial, Stagg’s stockpile of erotic images found a home on her popular website StaggStreet.com. This outlet has garnered international exposure, including gallery shows, a documentary series on IFC.com, and shoots for Penthouse and Playboy.

“Melting Flesh,” Photographs by Ellen Stagg runs May 22 through June 19, 2010, at Fuse Gallery, 93 2nd Ave (between 5th & 6th Sts, 2nd Ave stop on the F), NYC, NY. The opening reception, on Saturday May 22nd, from 7 to 10 pm, is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Fuse Gallery at 212.777.7988 or [email protected].

Official Website: http://fusegallerynyc.com/