Yasumasa Morimura is a conceptual photographer and filmmaker. He uses props, costumes, makeup and digital manipulation to reinvent iconic photographs and paintings and challenge the traditional conventions of portraiture. His interpretations of art historical imagery, such as works by Caravaggio, Vermeer and van Gogh; or iconic figures such as Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte Bardot, explore image consumption and the complex nature of Japan’s absorption of Western culture. Although his images are not exact replicas, their uncanny resemblance to historically significant works blend fiction with reality and challenge the viewer’s preexisting associations of the depicted subjects. Self Portrait After Marlene Dietrich celebrates Hollywood-actress Marlene Dietrich, known for her sexy, sultry appeal and unusual personal style in the mid-1900s. Her distinctive androgynous look challenged the notions of femininity, just as Morimura challenges our notions of traditional portraiture. Yasumasa Morimura (b. 1951, Osaka, Japan) graduated from Kyoto City University of Arts in 1978.