Jerry Buttles is a renowned California artist with an impressive collection of collaborators under his belt. His body of work includes features with A$AP Rocky, Freddie Gibbs, Comme De Garcons, and Drake. Buttles work is lived in and full of texture. The grain, locations and intimacy with his subjects gives his photographs a “home video” sense of nostalgia that viewers can fall in love with quickly.
Today, we’d like to look at one of Buttles’ less referenced collaborations with Danish actress Klara Kristin. The below pieces were published for Office Magazine in 2018 under the title “You Can’t Buy Beauty”. The series is energetic without being forceful and contextual without being specific. While there is much to be said about how the collection speaks on beauty and fashion — The series does an extraordinary job at showcasing the haze of youth.
“You Can’t Buy Beauty” makes a point of showing Kristin seemingly out of place and almost dreamlike. The photographer does this by often bathing the model in “too much” light - light Kristin tends to shy away from, or by photographing her wearing outfits that, while fashionable, seem erratic in an intentional way.
Human beings are born with different personalities within themselves that grow more distinct as we get older. These personalities help us navigate relationships with different people, and act are mediators between us an the world around us. No one is the same person all the time, and that adaptability can, at times, be misunderstood as being disingenuous. Being young is about getting used to the weirdness of the world around you, and getting comfortable with the different facets of your personality.
“You Can’t Buy Beauty” shows a women on the edge of that journey.
Here, we can see a women navigating the world unapologetically and slowing building a deeply personal model of how she shows up in the world. It’s an encouraging lesson that tells other young people - “It’s okay if you haven’t figured everything out, push and pull against the world until you get it right.”
Visit Jerry Buttles Portfolio
Follow LONER on Instagram
