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The Dutch artist duo Lernert & Sander are known for playful video works in which they work out their themes in a style reminiscent of the advertising world. In their videos everyday objects and situations are exaggerated or carried to the utmost extreme, creating an absurd and often audacious picture. In a time in which software programs like Photoshop define beauty, in ‘Natural Beauty’ Lernert & Sander go in search of the limits of this ideal picture. In the video they question what the result would be if all the cosmetics that that one would normally use in a year were all put on at once. They tested this out with the aid of a photo model who literally has 365 layers of make-up applied to her face. The model, Hannelore Knuts, has her face thrust through a paper backdrop so that it dominates the image, while a cosmetician applies layer after layer of make-up. The process took a total of nine hours; so as not to disrupt her work, the model could not move during that time, and could only eat and drink through a straw. While the thick layers of make-up drip from the face, the cosmetician soldiers on. The model’s natural appearance slowly changes into a theatrical and monstrous presence. Where generally speaking cosmetics contribute to a certain beauty, with the aid of make-up supplies including – but not limited to – seven bottles of foundation, two boxes of eye shadow and three tubes of lipstick, Lernert & Sander prove the opposite.

Netherlands Media Art Institute, Tessa Verheul.