Boy Love – Dummy Heart Angela Lyon

Teenage pin-up idols are given a make-over by photographer Angela Lyon in her exhibition Boy Love – Dummy Heart.

Lyon revisited her teenage bedroom and chosen some of the male pin-up idols she had crushes on as a school girl. She then gives herself a make-over to recreate the men, and photographs herself as them.

"All these men, most of whom were singers and actors, were there to be looked at. There is a light-hearted and cheeky element to the work, but it is underpinned by themes that explore the position of the subject, the photographer, and the objectifying capabilities of the camera," she says.

As well as taking photographs of herself as her pin-up idols, Lyon made some 90-second videos of herself as them, and transformed the images into watercolour paintings. She is also developing a campaign to infiltrate various websites around the world with her images, including the Facebook pages of Elvis supporters and Robert Smith's Facebook page. The final part of the exhibition is a poster campaign around Dunedin that reflects the fact that most of her chosen idols were performers.

"Some of the exhibition will be inside the Blue Oyster space, but part of it is external. It will sit in the world of cyber-space as well as having a physical presence around Dunedin through the posters," says Lyon.

27 May 2011: Closing Event and Screening of Warholian screen tests

Click to download the exhibition text (PDF)

Presented alongside Ana Terry and Don Hunter Indigo Blues and Ben Pearce Nervous System.