Perou’s Coulraphobia

Make-up by Topolino

Love them or hate them, clowns allow make-up artists to transform a persons face to evoke a number of strong emotions. Happy, sad, strange, insane, or just weird were a few on display last night at the Grand Palais in Paris.

Photographer Perou has the perfect long face complete with sticking-out ears and shaven head for some of the world’s leading make-up artists to transform him into a clown for his new book of self-portraits “Coulrophobia” which means an abnormal fear of clowns.

His range of expressions in collaboration with Mac cosmetics is a match made in heaven. Being a photographer himself, he knows exactly what images work best for each of his self portraits.

Although he claims to hate clowns citing childhood trauma of having clown wallpaper in his bedroom amongst other things, he just can’t help transforming himself into a clown over and over again.

Perhaps it’s his love of make-up, although he professes to know nothing about it.  More likely it’s his love of make-up artists that urge him on.

If you love make up, you’ll love this book. Bravo Perou for being such a good “clown” sport.