JELLY Photography Zine Launch at Friend Editions (July 2024)
Friend Editions hosted the launch of JELLY, a photography zine that was created via the fruitful partnership of photographers Mat+Kat and hairstylist Evanie Frausto. Comprised solely of images, this is a visual journey in which hair is treated as the locus for self-expression, independence, and identity.
Its youthful, twenty-to-thirty-something models evince the carefree, joie de vivre ethos of young adulthood through their individually unique hairstyles: head-to-floor length braids that gracefully line the ground; short men’s cuts in which rainbow-colored dyes form open-hands recalling graffiti tags of urban street art; intense shades of chartreuse and cyan-dyed hairs evoking the darkly comedic cynicism of Gregg Araki’s Teenage Apocalypse film trilogy or the punk rebelliousness of Riot grrrl music, etc.
Other aspects of the models’ appearances further the sense of selfhood that radiates off each person, from the relaxed seating position of an all-nude woman whose body is lined with tattoos to the passionate embrace of young lovers. The cool, nonchalant, self-assured demeanors of each subject ultimately brings the overarching theme of independence to a fantastic crescendo. Featured subjects include independent filmmaker & actor Zelda Adams (featured in the first and fifth photos), model Rosaline Angua, model-influencer-creative director Patrick Meynard, model Fidan Sultan, model Hody Yim, et al.
Founded by Oliver Shaw in 2022, Friend Editions is a publisher that specializes in independent art books, zines, and photobooks, with an eye towards today’s groundbreakingly extraordinary cultural vanguard. Friend Editions is located at 129a Eldridge Street, New York, New York and is open on weekends (12 - 6pm) or by appointment.
