Aurelien Juner takes a subversive, striking look at fashion glossies

Whether you love them or hate them, fashion magazines never fail to spark controversy. On the one hand they’re inherently elitist and raise alarming questions about our attitudes towards women, body image and economic inequality that some consider to be the very worst aspects of western culture. On the other hand isn’t their key purpose quite a simple one; to show off beautiful sartorial creations in the most flattering way possible – and don’t they do it rather well? Whichever side of the fence you sit on it’s probably a debate you’ve grown weary of.

So how’s about a surprisingly fresh take on the whole thing, albeit a fairly anti-fashion one? Aurelien Juner is a French multidisciplinary designer living and working in Barcelona. His photographic project Surface is a personal reflection “on the function of the fashion magazine as a medium of dissemination of mass culture images and [their] relation to reality.” In this series he binds, rips, burns and submerges the most influential fashion publications, prompting us to question the essence of the glossy images we digest on a daily basis and whether we should concern ourselves with their message.

Whether you’re a die-hard fashionista or find the whole industry abhorrent you can’t deny the creative flair and crisp execution of a project that tackles such hotly-debated subject. Though be warned, some of the images definitely aren’t safe for work.