Genie Kausto's work is filled with camp creativeness
Genie Kausto is a creative duo made up of hair artist Evanie Frausto and photographer George Kan. The New York-based couple first met when Frausto Kan cut her hair. "Almost a year later we started taking photos together," says Frausto. “It just seemed to work. We both had very different perspectives, but they seemed to be coming together. "
The alias of Genie Kausto not only adds a touch of mystery, but also enables the couple to appreciate the work together. "This world in which we find ourselves tries so hard to divide it up and to say who did this and who did that. But it is never really like that – in every project," explains Kan Division of labor or of ideas is a lie that everyone seems to live with. It's weird. Together we really felt that, and the name Genie Kausto was part of the solution to this problem. "
Although their styles seem to collide, the two manage to fuse elements of their different tastes into a free-spirited aesthetic. For hair artist Frausto, his penchant for tall silhouettes and synthetic wigs includes references to fashion history and references to 90s supermodels, Vogue covers from the 60s, and old hair ads from the 40s. In contrast to Kan's background of studying art history and performance, he encompasses the weird, the wonderful, and the theater while making sure that a casual narrative is woven into his images. This mix of approaches results in images that are beautifully combative and weird, plus "a little gross". "That is important," says Frausto.
Tan
Although they are still working on individual projects, the two have worked as genius Kausto on works for Vice, Paper Magazine, Office Magazine and many more. Much of her recent results were inspired by the quarantine. Since the duo are also a real married couple, they have the opportunity to advance their ideas as part of a pandemic.
In the series for Office Magazine, Couples Retreat, the couple adopt various nostalgic, romantic identities for a series of strange self-portraits. In the Inside and Occupied for Paper series, they revert to things that were once considered just hobbies and which have now become obsessions during the lockdown, such as cycling, knitting and playing.
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The element of fantasy in Genie Kausto's work is what sets her editorial work apart, and that sense of escape is strongly linked to Frauusto's and Kan's upbringing. “I grew up in a very conservative neighborhood,” says Frausto. "A Mexican-American community, and I was a trendy kid with huge hair who made my own skinny jeans. So I really stood out. But that was the point. It was about getting a completely different perspective."
“I was obsessed with the theater. Everything was a show, "adds Kan." All the time. The whole fantasy thing, really, I think it's a strange thing. As children, we were both very interested in female toys, female clothing, things that were never really granted to us – but we stole them for ourselves. “For both the photographer and the hair artist, their work is about escaping reality, being different and being brave enough to imagine something different, something bigger.
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While the couple's work is focused on escapism, Kan and Frausto can sometimes find it difficult to live together and manage to disconnect from actual work. "It's hard to know where the line is between work and everything else," says Frausto. “We land at three in the morning and we argue about a prosthesis or the positioning of something. And it gets later and one of us is upset and we're still stuck in the costume and we can't take the makeup off and we argue just. "
“We do everything on the tightest budget, so buying things like a tripod can reduce the stress a lot,” adds Kan. But their love for what they do keeps them excited and ready to move on. "It's a form of expression. An outlet. It's a chance to get really weird," says Frausto. "In fashion there are so many filters, so many rules that have to be followed. So it's nice to have balls to them Throwing the wall and letting everything hang. "
While Genie Kausto hasn't done any commercial jobs yet, with the editorial work they've created, they've made their vision and aesthetic clear and nothing is compromised. "It really is the same as the rest of our work. We just do what we do and then we do it really best."
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Frausto and Kan want to be part of an environment that is open to change and progress. "There are a lot of changes in fashion that are really important and are just beginning," says Frausto. "We see different types of people – both in front of and behind the camera. I just hope such changes aren't just a trend."
"I agree, but that's really just the more forward-looking part of the fashion world," adds Kan. “To see that these changes are really mainstream is going to be a different matter. Furthermore, part of the problem with "creative industries" is that they are "industries". It's all capitalism and exploitation and bad thoughts that have been made normal. But we try not to get caught up in it. "
"Yes. This is where" imagination "comes in," says Frausto.
@ genie.kausto