Carlos Batts is a photographer, filmmaker and curator. Over the past 20 years he has taken the DIY mantra to heart documenting a variety of sophisticated sub-cultures; music, life style and art. Painter, stylist, make up artist, and set designer have all been titles he has carried through out the creation of his vast body of work. Carlos has honed and refined his artistic sensibilities into a balanced mosaic of high fashion and photo-collages that encompass his entire vision.
Among an ever-expanding universe of other forums in addition to photography, Batts has directed short films, and curated photography and street art exhibits by the likes of Mike GIANT, Rich Colman, AXIS, George Pitts, Alva Bernadine, Chris Haston and Andres Serrano. His work has appeared in Swindle, Alternative Press, WARP, Vibe, Maxim, URB, WYWS, and Garage. The author of four books, including the upcoming Spring 2009 Miss Rosen Editions/powerHouse Books release Fat Girl, a visual diary of April Flores, Batts’ clients include NBC, Digi Design, Sky Spirits, Ballantine Books, DC Comics, AGFA Film, Calee Clothing (Japan), Third Rail Clothing, Fleer Trading Cards, Century Media Records, New Line Cinema, Warner Brothers, Abacus Records, Relapse Records and Reptilian Records.
We currently live in an age where access to images of beautiful women is merely one click away at any given time. Our magazine stands have had to make room for the onslaught of new, sexy publications and our base of photographers has opened its borders to include a new army of camera-wielding aspirants who want to capture provocative imagery of their friend, wife, or girl-next-door. Girls who never thought they could include modeling in their repertoire of experience, because of their non-mainstream attributes are now finding homes for their various arrays of height and weight, bold hair colors and body modifications.
And while all of that, in essence, is what art is about expansion and transcendence of societal norms mingling with divine aesthetic presentation and superior artistic skill, this recent complete saturation of the market makes finding something truly outstanding a rarity. Like finding that proverbial needle within the haystack. Discovering a treasure that rises above being easily categorized, that breaks apart from the world it was created in, and itself becomes a muse and an aspirant, creating its own universe. April Flores is that rare, exploding glorious and exciting gem.
