Smoking Kids

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Smoking children is a controversial topic I would assume but photographer Frieke Janssens wants you to see a different view. The series was inspired by the YouTube video of the smoking Indonesian toddler.

By using kids as models, the artist wants viewers to focus on the act of smoking rather than making assumptions about the person. The feel of these images are almost retro with the time period of the "Mad Men", when smoking on a plane or in a restaurant was not unusual. Frieke went on to make a good point and to clarify his props.

The aesthetics of smoke and the particular way smokers gesticulate with their hands and posture cannot be denied, but among the different tribes of "Smoking Kids," - Glamour, Jazz, and The Marginal - there is a nod to less attractive aspects, on the line between the beauty and ugliness of smoking.

To assure you of the safety of the children, there were no real cigarettes on set. Instead, chalk and sticks of cheese were the prop stand ins, while candles and incense provided the wisps of smoke.