modern chameleon

Spot the figures! Dutch artist, Desiree Palmen, has created chameleons in the urban jungle with her amazing photographs.

At first you think, 'Wow! That's amazing' but the impact was soon lost, as I found myself questioning 'So what? Photoshop? Big deal.'

But that's not the case. Palmen makes the cotton suits and then paints them by hand for hours. First she takes photographs of the scene then, back in the studio, she meticulously transfers the detail on to the suit with acrylic paints. The match of colour, texture, light and hue is extraordinarily accurate.



It's great to see this being achieved through traditional methods. With hours of time, energy and attention to detail.

There is also meaning behind her work and she asks the viewer to consider what it means to let the government control our daily lives, "When we are controlled we hand over our individual responsibilities to the state. I wanted to make a suit for the non-criminal citizen whose house is being watched 24 hours by street surveillance cameras. I'm also responding to a wish to disappear."