The Makeout Project turns kissing into an artform

Jedediah Johnson’s photographic series involves him putting on lipstick then kissing people, before documenting the smears in portraits. But, he insists, he’s not just doing it for cheap thrills

From the naked women that Yves Klein covered in blue paint to Terry Richardson’s bevy of porny subjects, the art world is full of work that for one person seems liberated and for another exploitative. Continuing to skirt that line is Jedediah Johnson, an American photographer whose ongoing series the Makeout Project involves him putting on lipstick then kissing people, before documenting the resulting smears in portraits.

Johnson’s shots are really striking, with his LaChapellian palette of bright colours making the lipstick jump out from its surprisingly circuitous path across each person’s face. The subjects look variously flirtatious, amused and ashamed; some have strange narratives, like the woman who is holding a baby just out of shot, her partner hovering off to one side.

Continue reading…
SOURCE: Photography | The Guardian – Read entire story here.