‘Bombshell,’ by Ethan James Green, is a photographic study over a 12-month period, in collaboration with hairdresser’s Lucas Wilson, Jimmy Paul and Sonny Molina.
A central theme for Green’s second book was to explore the spirit of the bombshell. In popular culture, the bombshell has been used to describe a blonde, buxom woman who has sex appeal; Green subverts this tired stereotype and invites a diverse array of friends to interpret and question the ‘Bombshell’, by using their own clothes, props and posing in any way they feel comfortable.
Green’s work is notable for his black and white portraits, capturing the uncompromising lives of his New York friends, and ‘Bombshell’ is a continuation of this work, a collaboration between the subjects and the photographer, as they both construct the outcome. Starring iconic faces, such as the model Molly Constable, fashion director of Interview Magazine Dara Allen, artist Connie Fleming, and the book’s cover star, actress Hari Nef.
The project was first printed as a zine by Dashwood Books, New York, which was the beginning of this much broader ongoing project and, as Green states himself, “The zine was the first rendition of this whirlwind collaborative project that we embarked on over the summer of 2021, while emerging (slowly) from the frustrations of the past 18 months. Once we began shooting, the title ‘Bombshell’, became the driving force behind our days of dressing-up and performance.”
‘Bombshell’ is art-directed by Ben Kelway, the creative director of Arena Homme Plus and POP Magazine and contains an essay by Devan Diaz.