MERT & MARCUS
Keira Knightley
We can’t take our eyes off the work of Mert & Marcus. The team of Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott have been partnered as a photography team for over 25 years. They met in London in 1994 and their first shoot became the cover of Dazed & Confused magazine. The rest is an incredible history and volume of highly successful ad campaigns, editorial work for all the top magazines and their own independent work. They are at the top of our list for provocative and electrifying eroticism. They have a love and wonder of light, color and black and white. They are marvelous with what they conjure up to happen between the subject, the camera and what they are bringing behind the lens. Their sexual sense is switched on.
So much goes into a shoot. A large team is hard at work weeks before. Meetings are held with the talent and their representatives and then an army of hair, makeup, lighting, production and props, stylists and manicurists are hired once the concept is nailed down. So much credit goes to Mert & Marcus for having such a creative hardworking team behind every click of the shutter or the movement of the video cameras. They have also shot commercials and music videos for top brands and A talent.
Evidently the talent is comfortable with them at the helm and willing to try something daring and new. Most of the talent seems willing to shed some or all the clothes they were wearing. This is almost always negotiated upfront. It’s interesting to see who really loves their body and wants to show more in this unique opportunity. When they shoot fashion somehow you still feel that erotic beat pulsing through the fabric.
They published their first book with Taschen in 2017, and it is steamy, hot and gorgeous. Their work is very collectible and in collections around the world. One question – who clicks the shutter? Do they take turns — is one better with the moving image and one better with still composition. I’ll have to ask.
We are looking for them to turn their eye to new, fresh upcoming talent and give them the royal Mert & Marcus treatment. The Instagram they share together is a wonderful assault on your senses, a feast for the eye and an erotic treat. Mert Alas also has his own IG page and he has captured a beautiful essay during the COVID-19 pandemic called The Quarantine Days. He shows his political leanings, and also shows a sensitivity which binds him to nature. You can feel a love of humanity and life. It seems to be a beautiful inclusive place, the world of Mert Alas.
