GUY BOURDIN – IMAGE MAKER

Posted on 2015-01-19

The UK’s largest ever exhibition of the influential and enigmatic fashion photographer Guy Bourdin, featuring over 100 works and previously unseen material from the photographer’s estate, from 1955 to 1987. This major show charts Bourdin’s distinguished 40-year career from Man Ray’s protégé to photography revolutionary in his own right and explore his pursuit of perfection. The exhibited works exemplify the craftsmanship behind his images, from production to publication, and their enduring quality as a consequence.

Guy Bourdin’s editorial and advertising imagery represent a highpoint in late twentieth century fashion photography. His work took the basic function of the fashion photograph -to sell clothing, beauty and accessories- and made it into something rich and strange. Bourdin did this without resorting to exoticism; instead, he established the idea that the product is secondary to the image. From his professional debut for Paris Vogue in the 1950s, Bourdin developed a distinctive style of visual storytelling which continues to serve as a source of inspiration to contemporary fashion photographers from Tim Walker to Nick Knight.

Exhibition runs through till March 15th, 2015

Somerset House
Strand
London
WC2R 1LA

www.somersethouse.org.uk

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SPAIN & 42 ST.

Posted on 2015-01-19

SPAIN & 42 ST. is the title of a William S. Burroughs cut-up poem that transforms found fragments of text into a new whole. The works in the exhibition challenge the narratives of photography and fashion and parallels between them, just as Burroughs constantly challenged the structure of prose. They move beyond expectations of fashion or fine art: they are neither exclusively one nor the other. Each is a cut-up in itself and within the context of the exhibition.

The theme of portraiture, both conventional and conceptual, appears throughout. Robert Mapplethorpe’s portraits show his keen fashion editorial eye; his photographs showcase his creative direction as much as his models, including fashion icon Dianne B. Photographs from Darja Balagić’s online porn thumbnail project are presented as abstracted portraits. The works transform pornographic scenes into delicate poses with soft lines and minimal color. Paul Mpagi Sepuya’s studio studies capture the remains of photographic sessions. Fabric is left draped over a chair and on the studio floor; though no one is pictured, their aura persists. Peter Hujar’s photo of artist David Wojnarowicz, though posed for a fashion catalog, catches its subject in an unassuming, candid moment. Also shot for a catalog, Jimmy DeSana’s photograph of a nude and a nearly-nude model turning from the camera while joined at the butt with a coat hanger takes fashion imagery into a radical realm of desire and the absurd.

Opposite – Robert Mapplethorpe Dianne Benson, 1980

Exhibition runs through till January 31st, 2015

Foxy Production
623 W 27 St
NYC 10001 New York
USA

www.foxyproduction.com

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MIKHAIL BARYSHNIKOV – DANCING AWAY

Posted on 2015-01-19

Dancing Away celebrates Baryshnikov as photographer; a
medium that the artist explored for two decades before
turning his lens to the dance world. As a photographer,
Baryshnikov is in the unique position of ‘insider and
outsider’ simultaneously. Whilst he may step out of his
role as dancer, his intuitive “dancer’s eye” allows him to
view every performance from a unique perspective. Each
photograph captures a magical moment that has inspired
Baryshnikov. “I take thousands of images, and it takes me
a long, long time to select. My eye catches it and my heart
stops. This is exactly what I want”, explains Baryshnikov, demonstrating that his artistry involves being both photographer and connoisseur.

Opposite – Untitled #17, 2010

Exhibition runs through till January 31st, 2015

Contini Art UK
105 New Bond Street
London
W1S 1DN

www.continiartuk.com

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