Marlene McCarty (Reflection) No. 2, 2008Speaking of Rodarte — check out artist Marlene McCarty's new project at V Gallery, inspired by the designers' current collection. McCarty is best known for her large-scale ballpoint pen and pencil drawings of real-life teenage girls who murdered their families — a disturbing topic, to be sure, but McCarty's portrayals and technique (it reminds me of drawings you might find on a Pee Chee folder, but gigantic and extremely detailed) invited an empathy for the girls and an appreciation for the complexity of their stories.
Marlene McCarty (Progression) No. 4, 2008For her collaboration with Rodarte and V, McCarty uses the same technique to portray model Anja Rubik morphing from woman to beast, presenting as Rodarte does "a new, dangerous femininity"...a "decisive unveiling of a cast of female archetypes moving in and out of definition." It's worth a look — visit the V Gallery Project to see the whole series and get more info.
More Marlene McCarty here and here.