SO just how far would you go to alter your appearance?

An exhibition called Love Me at the Impressions Gallery in Bradford (part of the recent development opposite the City Hall) reflects on cultural and commercial forces that drive a global obsession with youth and beauty.

Over a period of five years photographer Zed Nelson visited 18 countries across five continents, photographing cosmetic surgeons, beauty queens and body-builders alongside everyday teenagers, housewives and businessmen.

His efforts have resulted in quite a remarkable exhibition.

For instance, we see a participant in the annual prison beauty contest in a South American penitentiary, Iranian women undergoing nose jobs in Tehran and female staff at a Russian nuclear agency competing for the title of Miss Atom.

A bikini-clad woman in pictured in a spray tan booth. Theres a rather sad-looking young woman, Miss Lincolnshire, taking part in the Miss England competition in Leicester and a tearful Miss Essex upset at failing to win the Miss England title.

Katie, a mere nine-year-old, is dolled up to the nines to become winner of a beauty contest at the Texas State Pageant.

The strains on the heart caused by body-building and competing in a contest with others of like ilk are graphically illustrated as one contestant is pictured receiving oxygen after the competition.

Among a flurry of other images theres a hairdressing poster advert in Senegal and an underwear poster in central Moscow.

A gallery spokesman said: While Nelsons subjects appear willing participants in a widespread culture of bodily improvement, they might equally be considered hapless victims at the mercy of larger social forces and locked into an insatiable craving for approval.

As the subjects frailties and pretensions are exposed so too are we, the viewer and our motives for looking, for inspecting, along with uncomfortable reminders of our own vanities and insecurities.

The exhibition runs till May 29.

oIN THE adjoining Bradford Gallery One the attraction is a large collection of etchings by David Hockney, a famous son of the city.

The artists draughtsmanship and mastery of the medium are evident throughout the 39 pieces which he used to illustrate six fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm.

They were produced back in 1969 and bought by Bradford Council for its fine art collection the following year.

Hockney used references to medieval Italian artists in his illustrations, including Capaccio, Utello and Leonardo Da Vinci. Hieronymous Bosch and Magritte also provided some ideas.

The tales he chose were The Little Sea Hare, Fundevogel, Rapunzel, The Boy Who Left Home To Learn Fear, Old Rainkrank and Rumpelstilzchen.

His research included reading over 200 tales, studying existing illustrations and photographing castles in Germany.

These etchings turned out to be some of my most well-known works, says Hockney.

This exhibition runs till May 15.

Both the Impressions and the Bradford One galleries open Tuesday to Friday, 11am to 6pm (7pm on Thursday) and Saturday from 12 noon to 5pm.