Circa announces the debut monograph on Belgian photographer Ifa Brand

The roll call of successful models turned photographer is long and distinguished – from Lee Miller to Ellen von Unwerth. Ifa Brand’s journey from model to photographer and self-portraitist was prompted by her growing frustrations with the modelling world, and the desire to seize artistic control of her own image. Inspired by pioneers of fetish style, such as Charles Guyette and Gene Bilbrew, and 1950s’ pin-ups, Bettie Page and Jayne Mansfield, she has created her own distinctive fusion of old-school glamour and fetish art. Since 2017, when she bought her first camera, she has worked exclusively with Polaroid – a medium whose graininess and technical limitations she happily exploits. The result is a series of atmospheric portraits that convey her personal explorations of sensuality and eroticism. Boudoir, her first book, will be published in the autumn.

‘I have always been drawn to women with an edge. Women who ooze sexual power. Women who are unapologetically themselves, in all their eccentricity.’ – Ifa Brand

Boudoir

Ifa Brand’s jour­ney from mod­el to pho­tog­ra­ph­er and self-por­traitist was prompt­ed by her grow­ing frus­tra­tions with the mod­el­ling world, and the desire to seize artis­tic con­trol of her own image. Inspired by pio­neers of fetish style, such as Charles Guyette and Gene Bil­brew, and 1950s’ pin-ups, Bet­tie Page and Jayne Mans­field, she has cre­at­ed her own dis­tinc­tive fusion of old-school glam­our and fetish art. From the begin­ning, she chose to work exclu­sive­ly with Polaroid – a medi­um whose grain­i­ness and tech­ni­cal lim­i­ta­tions she exploits. The result is a series of atmos­pher­ic por­traits that con­vey her per­son­al explo­rations of sen­su­al­i­ty and eroticism.

‘I have always been drawn to women with an edge. Women who ooze sex­u­al pow­er. Women who are unapolo­get­i­cal­ly them­selves, in all their eccen­tric­i­ty.’ – Ifa Brand

Nora Kobrenik is Edi­tor-In-Chief and Founder of Tar­tarus Mag­a­zine, and a pho­tog­ra­ph­er, mod­el, styl­ist, design­er and artist. Born and raised in the for­mer USSR, she com­bines Russ­ian opu­lence, hard­ness, ele­gance and class with Amer­i­can tra­di­tions, inde­pen­dence and inno­va­tion. She is the patron saint of the scan­dalous, out­ra­geous and mon­strous, and Tar­tarus Mag­a­zine serves as her church and forum. She divides her time between Con­necti­cut and New York City.

Photographer Ifa Brand

Introduction Nora Kobrenik

Designer Jean-Michel Dentand

1 October 2021
Hardcover
25 × 20cm
10 × 8 in
128pp
70 colour illustrations
£40 | $60

ISBN 978-1-911422-31-0