Gozra Lozano

Gozra Lozano (born Julian Lozano)[1] is a creative photographer who grew up in the Canary Islands and has resided in London since 1993. Gozra is renowned for utilising a variety of skills when creating his photographic works and not only captures the image but conceives the concepts and the art direction and then retouches the image in post production. Gozra has expressed his desire to be involved in all elements of his creative process as the "most fundamental Do It Yourself principle of punk".[2] Gozra has worked with a variety of different pop stars, media personalities and models throughout his career, had his work displayed during solo exhibitions and published a critically acclaimed self-titled book in 2011. Gozra's work has been described as "baroque, boundary pushing and possessing tremendous artistic merit".[3]

Early life and career beginnings

Gozra Lozano was born Julian Lozano in the Canary Islands and grew up in a highly conservative military family.[4] Gozra studied economics at university and had explored a more alternative aesthetic to peers by becoming a "white skinned punk goth getting fried like an egg under the Spanish sun".[5] At the age of 23 Gozra relocated to London where he resided in Soho and became part of the capitals thriving nocturnal nightclub scene. Gozra began training as a make up artist and went on to work with a number of high profile clients including The Pussycat Dolls whom he began working with shortly after the release of the globe conquering debut single Don't Cha until the groups last studio album Doll Domination as well as Sophie Ellis-Bextor,[6] Marc Almond and Pete Burns.[7] Gozra is also well known for being a regular make up artist on several campaigns for Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Givenchy,[8] Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein[9] Gozra's work as a make up artist also graced the pages and front covers of a variety of publications including special feature's in Marie Claire[10] the Daily Telegraph[11] as well as a frequent collaboration with Gay Times[12][13][14][15] in which Gozra worked in capacity as both make up artist and art director . Gozra was also the solo make up artist for Hello magazine spreads featuring prolific socialites Tamara and Petra Ecclestone[16] and Tamara Beckwith.[17] Gozra also worked with Marc Almond as a make up artist on the videos for the songs Lonely Go Go Dancer, Please Stay, Friendship, I Love So Much To Look Into Your Eyes, The Exhibitionist and Variete. Gozra also was make up artist to Almond on his 30th anniversary album Variete,[18] the 2003 video for the re-release of Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" and on the music video for the Vengaboys, "Rocket to Uranus", which featured Perez Hilton and Pete Burns. Gozra was also key make up artist on the film An Organisation of Dreams.[19]

Photography career

Gozra moved into the photography world having always been inspired by the "audio visual arts". His first project entitled ManMade featured images of pop icon Pete Burns of Dead or Alive[20] whom would collaborate with Gozra again on many future projects .He worked on the design,art direction and post production of Dead or Alive's 2003 greatest hits package Evolution.[21] Burns would also dedicate personal words of gratitude and thanks to Gozra in the sleeve notes to the Evolution album citing their close friendship.Journalist and writer Patricia Godes also wrote an article interviewing Gozra for the magazine 20 Minutos[22] Gozra was also commissioned as a digital retoucher on Pete Burns autobiography Freak Unique and then created and photographed the single cover for Pete Burns 2010 release Never Marry an Icon. Gozra then began developing his own photographic aesthetic taking inspiration from in his own words "the darkest corners of my imagination to the neon bright lights of my lightest side".[23] Lozano's early work focused on a number of prolific and personalities on the London club scene as Lozano wished to "encourage beautiful creatures from the 'underworld' and their counterparts to explore their own boundaries,finding a new personal definition of their own beauty"[24] Lozano's subjects included DJ and model Princess Julia, actress, artist and filmmaker Paulita Sedgwick, fashion designer and musician Pam Hogg. Lozano also began working with a number of high profile and iconic pop stars on images that further emphasised his desire to create elaborate highly stylised surreal fantasies. Boy George, Marc Almond, Pete Burns, Siouxsie Sioux, Siobhan Fahey, Martin Degville, Gina G, Immodesty Blaize, Philip Salon and DJ Jeremy Healy posed for Gozra during this period. Lozano's work became highly publicised leading to an exhibition entitled 'Gay Icons'at Soho's Green Carnation. Time Out Magazine previewed Gozra's work and described it as "stunning,baroque".[25] Pete Burns, Julian Clary and Marc Almond were among the guests at the private view whilst the critically acclaimed writer and journalist Paul Burston who had himself posed for Gozra was the DJ at the evenings event.[26] Gozra then went on to work on photographic global campaigns for Gaydar and also for PETA in which he worked with Julian Clary[27] whom Lozano had also photographed for his exhibition and for Clary's novel 'Murder Most Fab'.[28] He then also photographed supermodel Jodie Kidd for the 2007 UK Quit campaign[29] then shot model Polly Fey for the cover of Ibiza Style.[30] In the aftermath of Gozra's exhibition, he worked on a new photographic concept named London Glam which in Lozano's own words featured "a graphic series of photographs which reflect my vision of the most notorious and influential characters of London's multi-faceted scene".

The series featured many prolific personalities from London's club scene including Mark Moore, Jodie Harsh, Dusty O, Aiden Shaw, Mike Nicholls, Massive Ego and Tasty Tim and was exhibited as part of ACT ART 5 in The Archers London . As a result of this project Ibiza Style magazine approached Gozra to produce a series of photographs for their August 2009 issue entitled Ibiza Glam.[31] In 2010, a self-titled book Gozra Lozano. Photography was published which collected many of Lozano's work with distinct themes such as London Glam and Gay Icons. The book featured Viktoria Modesta on the cover. The book was launched with a party in London's Shadow Lounge nightclub with Time Out London referring to the book as "the Candy of the week "[32] QX Magazine declared Lozano to be "a photographer of rare and exquisite talent". Gozra was also hailed as an inspiration by Pixiwoo[33] went on to photograph fashion designers Sorapol and Sadie Clayton. Gozra also exhibited in the G Fest Visual Art Exhibition in 2011 whilst Shakespears Sister would choose Gozra's image of Siobhan Fahey for the 2012 remix collection Remixes .

A selection of some of Gozra's work can be seen in the TV series Drag Queens of London whilst an image of Drag Queen Miss Hope Springs appears in the book The Harlots Guide to Classy Cocktails. Gozra commenced his next project Devatas which has begun with images of Scissor Sisters co front woman Ana Matronic, jewellery designer Vicki Sarge, artist and musician Leigh De Vries, artist Ewa Wilczynski, nightclub hostess Winn Austin of Kinky Gerlinky and critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Bishi.[34]

Other projects

Gozra co developed and presented a YouTube series with filmmaker Francois Gouliardon and Beaucoup Films,the series contained two to three episodes on which were devoted to a particular guest including Lana Pillay, Bishi, London Singer /Songwriter Rosa Mojo,Iconic Drag Queen Dusty O and YouTube make up personality Joseph Harwood,the latter film on Harwood featured behind the scenes footage of Gozra's's shoot with Ana Matronic for the Devatas series.

Gozra is also a contributing photographer, make up artist and journalist for Beige Magazine and has photographed Chi Chi La Rue, Willam Belli, Lana Pillay and Whitaker Mallem Design,provided make up artistry on cover shoots with Ana Matronic and Marc Almond and interviewed Art gallery owner and celebrity Topacio Fresh at La Fresh Gallery in Madrid. He has also been featured by the magazine as an artist in his own right.

Gozra has also appeared in the music videos for "Christmas in Soho" by BoiSounds feat. Dusty O & Soho Cares Singers and appeared on the cover of QX magazine as a result[35] and Julian Clary's video for Cool to be Queer.

Gozra was invited to be a celebrity judge in the series Tranny Academy in 2012.

Gozra has directed the music video for the single You're Burning by Paramour and Alexander Price in 2014.

Philanthropy

Gozra has worked in collaboration with Julian Clary for PETA in a United Kingdom campaign to protect bears from extinction.[36] He has also donated artworks for the Art For Survival campaign which was curated by Matthew Stradling and which supported gay males whom had been victims of domestic abuse and to the Charity Art Auction alongside Duggie Fields and Andrew Logan which supported St Vincent's School for Blind Children in Liverpool.

References

  1. ↑ Ibiza Style August 2008 pg 24
  2. ↑ Beige Magazine 2011
  3. ↑ Ibiza Style August 2008 pg 31
  4. ↑ Ibiza Style August 2008 pg 25
  5. ↑ Burston, Paul (2008-03-05). "Gozra Lozano: Interview - Time Out London". Timeout.com. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
  6. ↑ "K by Beverley Knight- Birmingham Launch". Wardrobe Mag. 2009-09-24. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
  7. ↑ Ibiza Style August 2008 pg 27
  8. ↑ Caroline Simpson (2014-05-27). "Gozra Lozano Archives". The Glass Magazine. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
  9. ↑ Marie Claire October 2001 pg 27
  10. ↑ Marie Claire October 2001 pg 27
  11. ↑ Daily Telepgraph Tuesday December 19 2000 pg 19 article by Jenni Baden Howard
  12. ↑ Gay Times September 2000
  13. ↑ Gay Times November 2000
  14. ↑ Gay Times March 2001
  15. ↑ Gay Times June 2001
  16. ↑ Hello Magazine 1 August 2006 pg 102-106
  17. ↑ Hello Magazine 10 October 2006 pg 20-23
  18. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20150419081919/http://www.discogs.com/Marc-Almond-Variet%C3%A9/release/2315401. Archived from the original on 19 April 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  19. ↑ "Gozra Lozano". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
  20. ↑ Time Out Magazine February 27-March 6 2002 pg 98
  21. ↑ Julian Gozra Lozano. "Julian Gozra Lozano | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
  22. ↑ "'Body modification': quiero ser otro". 20minutos.es. 2010-07-23. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
  23. ↑ Gozra Lozano.Photography pg 3
  24. ↑ Gozra Lozano.Photography pg 5
  25. ↑ Time Out Magazine February 27-March 42008 pg 104
  26. ↑ Time Out Magazine February 27-March 4 2008 pg 104
  27. ↑ Ibiza Style August 2008 pg 24
  28. ↑ Murder Most Fab by Julian Clary Ebury Press
  29. ↑ The London Paper Monday June 17 2007
  30. ↑ Ibiza Style July 2008
  31. ↑ Ibiza Style August 2009
  32. ↑ Time Out Magazine February 24 -March 2 2011 pg 54
  33. ↑ "Life's a Drag". Pixiwoo.com. 2011-09-09. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
  34. ↑ "Gozra Lozano". Gozra Lozano. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
  35. ↑ QX Magazine issue 807
  36. ↑ Ibiza Style August 2008 pg 24
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