I don’t need to hide the fact that I’m a big fan of Simone Lueck’s work, and yes, she’s a friend, and a talented one at that. I am also a big fan of Paul Kopekin and his gallery. The big excitement is that not only is Simone opening a show tonight at the PK gallery, but also that the Paul Kopekin Gallery has moved to Culver City, which is home to a thriving art and photography gallery community.

The exhibition features her project:

The shows are fantasies, and the performance reflects each woman’s perception of glamour. Through these private exhibitions, a culture of faded glamour emerges. The women are understood to be motivated by the desire to perform, as though this essential desire had been left idle and unfulfilled. While posing as a glamorous movie star, each woman is, for a moment, fulfilling her fantasy.

In addition to glamour shots, the series includes captured moments where the participant is doing something and is unaware that of the camera. These pictures add context and provide distance from the fantasy and a more spontaneous and natural look at the women in their chosen environment.

The series reveals parallel worlds where fantasy may be the reality, where desires remain unfulfilled, and where faded glamour is glowing, harsh and beautiful.