Multicoloured mouths by photographer Jason Bassett
*lips emoji*
[J]ason Bassett is a photographer whose recent work focuses on mouths. Surrounding the mouth with all manner of things – flowers, hundreds and thousands, blueberries, gummy bears – Jason creates the kind multi-sensory, sometimes sexualised images that light up Instagram like nothing else.
For an approach to colour that acts as an antidote to the downbeat, grey images on the news and the fashion’s current love for lo-fi, follow Jason here. In the meantime, check out some of his recent works below.
Hi Jason, you photograph a lot of mouths, what's the appeal of the mouth and is it your favourite body part?
The mouth is absolutely alluring. I mean if you really think about it, every line that makes up the mazelike patterns of each mouth… Is like our own treasure map. The mouth is for eating, speaking, kissing, the pathway to tasting, sexual fun, and then we have micro-expression… The mysterious movements that tell more than any word could ever. It’s certainly one of my favourite parts of our wonderful anatomy.
Your work is so colourful, it feels like an antidote to imagery we see on the news and the more lo-fi aesthetic we've seen recently. How would you describe your approach to colour?
That’s refreshing because my objective is anything but stress. I want people to escape their days and their opinions to just feel and see something we know but in an otherworldly space. I need the colors to dance and cause balance or imbalance that excites me. When I see and think pink, I’m daydreaming in infinite shades of such. I’m always thinking of how something will print and if the colors from a distance have a story of their own.
What would you like to see less of on Instagram this year?
I’d love to see less selfies and more self-awareness through experiences. I’d love to see less fashion editorials with meaningless backgrounds. I’d love to see significantly less posts in general and better curated pages when it comes to tastemakers. Lastly, less celebrity worship and a steady increase in talented unknowns being hired for their creative character.
What's it like to live in Miami?
I will be leaving soon as I find my heart to be more of a world traveler. I never fell in love with Miami and I think I almost love to hate it since its been home for so long. Cheers to the future.
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