Charlie White
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- For the ice dancer, see Charlie White (figure skater)
Charlie White (b. 1972) is a Jewish American[1] artist who works predominantly in photography. White blends real people and humanoid puppets, to create art works which introduce life-like monsters into apparently mundane situations. His most famous collection, Understanding Joshua, shows a grotesque puppet named Joshua, representing vulnerability, poor self image and the discomfort of sexual encounters. Joshua's world is sharply divided between blondes and brunettes.[2]. Joshua views himself as familiar and closely linked with brunettes; and conversely, he views blondes as the Aryan ideal, inhabiting "a superior world of cleanliness, beauty, and organization,"[3] [4][5]. White's photographs place Joshua, a symbol for insecurity, "in staged scenarios of abjection, class (or rather ethnic) hatred, and longing."[6][7] He has also directed a music video for American indie band Interpol's 2004 single Evil, from their Antics album, using a creepy, life-sized, singing puppet, involved in a fatal car crash. Interpol fans have affectionately named him 'Norman', and have identified him as personifying certain band members.
Wired magazine columnist Jenn Shreve writes, "In Charlie White's surreal world, life is just like the movies - a creep show full of killer special effects." White's work explores the surreal nature of the flesh, whether in his erotic alien series or representing Joshua's vulnerability and self disgust. His work can be found collected in his book Charlie White, which includes details of all three of his major projects. White has no official web page, though interviews with the man himself can be found on several websites, with examples of his work.
