Your name
Poppy Jessop
Place of birth
London, UK
Place where you live now
London, UK
3 words to describe you
pink, weird, glitter
Why do you take pictures?
I enjoy the process of image making. I love gathering and designing the little details that go into a photograph. In particular I have recently enjoyed creating my own physical props to use such a bizarre sets of false nails and a grotesque model of my foot.
Where do you get your inspiration?
My inspiration mostly comes from things I find. I have a very physical approach to photography and often find a way to incorporate imagery I find in books or magazines into my work. I use these materials to either build upon an image using collage or perhaps to just spark an idea. The more random the book the better.
Who are your influences?

Annie Collinge, The Substance by Coralie Fargeat, Infringe magazine, Juno Calypso
What determines the subject matter you choose?
My subject matter is often inspired by my own current obsessions, for example my most recent project titled “Nailed It” stemmed from my own obsession with getting my nails done and making acrylic nails. I decided to create my own surreal salon in which characters come in for bizarre treatments. The grotesque beauty treatments also act as an exploration of the extremes we go to in order to conform to today's standards.
What impact would you like your art to have?
I want my work to be playful and make people laugh. However I also want it to have this slightly darker grotesque underbelly. Through the surreal and weird nature of my work I also want to leave people wondering what is actually going on in the image and why?
What artwork do you never get bored with?
Collage art work such as by Linder Sterling. The scalpel is perfect to create the craziest combinations and scenarios. You can create scenes that would never be possible in real life leaving people questioning how you created such a thing.
Is there anything you want to add?
no

Butcheress
Project statement

Butcheress is a project based on the stereotype of meat being Masculine. By taking images I captured in a number of different butcher shops, I reimagine this narrative by placing hyper feminine objects into the male dominated industry. The aim being to create a surreal series of images that feels fun and playful whilst addressing darker themes of gendered stereotypes and meat. This project is also heavily inspired by The Sexual Politics of Meat by Carol J Adams, questioning parallels between women being seen solely for their bodies in the same way animals are for their meat.

This project plays on stereotypes ingrained within us and society that meat signifies Male power, informed by historical contexts dating back to Henry VIII and the hunting periods. I also took a lot of inspiration from my visit to my local butcher, which I discovered was owned by one of few “Butcheresses” in England. News articles about her focused on the fact she was a pretty blonde, rather than her skills as a butcher. I wanted to play on this visually to highlight how ridiculous and patronising this felt.

poppy jessop
@poppyyyyjessop