paul tuller reflects on celebrity worship with pray to pop candles

paul tuller reflects on celebrity worship with pray to pop candles
all images courtesy of paul tuller

its no secret that our society idolizes superstars, whether based on their professional merit or simply their status. new york-based illustrator paul tuller found a humorous way to integrate celebrity worship into the real world, imprinting six famous faces onto spiritual candles. these kinds of religious candles, commonly sold at corner stores around tuller’s brooklyn neighborhood, are used for prayer and praise, but tuller puts a twist on their original intention. portraits of justin bieber, taylor swift, miley cyrus, harry styles, lana del rey and FKA twigs are hand printed on glass using a two color separation process. small symbols like hearts, dollar signs and diamonds surround the image, each bearing a relationship to the featured superstar. 

taylor swift surrounded by hearts

miley cyrus sticks out her tongue on the candle

harry styles is surrounded by the ‘1D’ logo

lana del rey’s sultry characteristics are reflected in her candle portrait

diamonds surround the black and white candle of FKA twigs

the series of six worship candles