“The Poser... is the perfect post-pandemic read/coffee-table companion that ultimately reminds us about the importance of humor, community, family, artistic expression, and, above all, connection, even in the strange stay-at-home world in which it was conceived.”
The artists featured in The Poser are:
Alexandra Becker-Black, Ali Cavanaugh, Amanda Blake, Anne Siems, Arina Gordienko, Aris Moore, Cathy Daley, Daisy Patton, Donna Festa, Erin Cone, Henrietta Dubrey, Ilona Niemi, Janet Hill, Katherine Fraser, Kathrin Longhurst, Katinka Lampe, Kevin Yaun, Kirsti Tuokko, Kris Knight, Kristy Blackwell, Lara Hawthorne, Larissa Martin, Libby Schoettle, Lino Lago, Sara Strand, Martha Rich, Miriam Escofet, Naomi Devil, Pippa Young, Prudence Flint, Sarah Detweiler, Serena Cole, Shana Levenson, Sharon Sprung, Stefanie Renee, Tara Lewis, Terry Runyan, and Toni Hamel.
Interested in hosting Maya for a reading of her work, or interviewing her about her writing?
The Poser: 38 Portraits Reimagined
by Maya Stein
When the 2020 pandemic hit and lockdowns began, Maya Stein learned of the “museum at home” challenge launched by the Instagram account @tussenkunstenquarantaine and then made popular by the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. The invitation was to re-create a work of art using only a handful of props, and then share it online. After attempting a few classic works, she decided instead to re-create portraits of contemporary artists. This allowed her to connect and interact with the artists themselves. Maya reenacted more than 75 portraits from modern-day artists (mostly women) from around the world; The Poser is a collection of 38 of these.
Part art book, part essay series, part something else entirely, The Poser is a collection of contemporary portrait reenactments completed in the spring of 2020. The book features interviews with a selection of artists whose work was the inspiration for the series. Designed by Liz Kalloch, with a foreword by Danielle Krysa of The Jealous Curator and an afterword by Amy Tingle (who served as my “reluctant art director” for the reenactments). The Poser is a celebration of creativity in a time of uncertainty and the power of art to both transcend reality and respond to it with hope, joy, and connection.
have a look inside the book
