Fairytales

PETRA COLLINS AND ALEXA DEMIE

Photographer Petra Collins and actor Alexa Demie create nine erotic stories in a contemporary reimagining of a fairy-tale book.

Fairytales is an erotic folklore collection of Petra Collins and Alexa Demie’s illustrated short stories. As children, Petra and Alexa were both enamored with fairy tales, which provided an escape from their own painful realities. The two collaborated to write and portray nine characters that embody new stories they would have liked to see.

Each of the nine tales is set in unique spaces, ranging from suburban homes and parking lots to fantastical sets. Petra and Alexa’s chapters of elves, mermaids, sirens, water sprites, fallen angels, fairies, witches, and banshees blend their own stories with retold fairy tales. The photos combine elements of camp, prosthetics, and shibari in a surreal update to the imagery of the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, Charles Perrault, and others.

Petra Collins is a multitalented artist and director whose photography set the stylistic tone for much of the 2010s. Shooting since the age of 15, her work is fueled by self-discovery and a contemporary femininity that explores the complex intersection of life as a young woman online and off. Collins weaves through the worlds of art, fashion, film, and music. She is working on her first feature film, set to shoot in 2021. Alexa Demie is an actor, musician, and multi-hyphenate talent who currently stars as Maddy in HBO’s Euphoria. She has starred in acclaimed A24 films and had success in creative direction and design projects. Alexa is currently working on her first EP, developing and producing film and TV, and engaged in social-impact work focused on equality and representation, especially for the Latinx community and the next generation of youth.

POP CULTURE/PHOTOGRAPHY

176 pages, 9 x 11” 125 color photographs HC: 978-0-8478-7102-5 $45.00 Can: $60.00 UK: £32.50 October 5, 2021 Rights: World RIZZOLI