Petra Collins’ ‘STAR’ Unpacks the Horrors of Pop Stardom
A “tiny taste” of her debut feature in the works.
Summary
- Renowned photographer and director Petra Collins is releasing a new book, STAR, with Rizzoli on April 14
- The project follows fictional pop icons and their obsessive fans
- For her most cinematic series to date, Collins has also confirmed an upcoming feature film in a recent interview
Canadian photographer Petra Collins has announced the release of STAR, her next photo book with Rizzoli, arriving on April 14.
Her most narrative project yet, the five-chapter journey follows two fictional pop icons, Ashley and Siren8, as they navigate the throes of fame and the fine line between fans and stalkers. Here, Collins taps into her filmmaking roots as she captures obsession turned to violence, admiration to surveillance and a life in the public eye proving that all that glitters is not gold.
For full cinematic effect, Collins and her partner, musician Jake Nadrich, will release a companion STAR soundtrack in May, marking her first foray into music.
Shot across two weeks in and out of Tokyo, STAR builds on Collins’ fascination with the pop star figure, be it by lensing real-life songstresses, like Charli XCX and Olivia Rodrigo, the fictional J-POP group in her Idols series or fangirl, her first major museum show. The series situates itself within a lineage of works that explore the harsh realities of being a young woman on the world’s stage, including Perfect Blue, Love and Pop, Lilya 4-ever and All About Lily Chou-Chou.
@petracollins #starbypetracollins ♬ Met her on the internet – Peptobismuth
The book also takes inspiration from Collins’ own fangirl experience, a relationship that has since become complicated by her rise to stardom. In the last decade, the artist’s dreamy aesthetic signature has lifted her to a cult figure, often credited to pioneering the “female gaze,” with many of music and fashion’s most beloved passing through her lens. “I’ve observed how the public treats these women,” she told W. “STAR is very much what I’ve observed the public be like for years — putting that into the storyline.”
With an impressive collection of music videos, campaigns and short films under her belt, Collins has yet to premiere a feature though she’s confirmed on is on the way. Additional details are yet to come, but she’s ensured that STAR is a “tiny taste” of what we can expect.
Priced at $47.50 USD, the book is now available for pre-order via Rizzoli.
