GIRLS, GUNS AND ROPES
Josef Botello
Mixofpix

Sexy Girls and Sexy Guns, eh? While that particular video series reached new levels of bad taste (and even inspired The Cramps to sing about Bikini Girls With Machine Guns), this photographic take on the curious appeal of naked girls and weapons of death is thankfully more artistic, more provocative and much, much sexier.

Josef Botello's moody black and white photos mix female dominance and submission - the former in the shape of gun totin' minxes, the latter in the form of intense bondage.

But of course, nothing is ever quite that simple. Not only do we see the same model move from gun gal to bondage babe, but Botello's young ladies don't take on a victim stance while trussed up. Quite the opposite, in fact, as they stare defiantly, teasingly and determindly out at the viewer.

Botello's photographs - shot, it should be noted, on low-end digital snapshot cameras with non-professional lighting - are atmospheric and challenging, beautiful and exciting, unnerving and intriguing. His models - sexy rock chicks all - gaze out at the viewer with cynical amusement, whether they are presented as victim or predator. This is impressive stuff, and if you feel upset at finding it horny, all the better.

I look forward to seeing more of Botello's work.

DAVID FLINT

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