Come Under the Cover with Petra Collins to discover the books and images that have informed her unique visual language and the making of her newly published photo book, STAR.

Revisiting the books that captured her imagination as a teenager like the Corinne Day photos from the set of The Virgin Suicides and the 1977 idol book dedicated to The Runaways, Collins speaks to how discovering these images on Tumblr opened up an entirely new visual universe to her. Behind the scenes of STAR, she reflects on the spectacle of fame and how it can feel both intoxicating and suffocating. Drawing inspiration from her own work with pop stars alongside these early references, her approach to photography is distinctly cinematic, weaving narrative, mood, and costuming as though composing scenes from a non-existent film. Sofia Coppola’s exploration of girlhood, John Waters’ pitiful fake food collection, and the world of images she found scrolling on the internet; these are the books that are most important to the artist and director. Subscribe to our Substack for access to an extended cut of the interview alongside exclusive editorial content including a bonus quick-fire Q&A.

Scroll down for Petra’s Under the Cover picks!