An exhibition entitled "I believe in miracles"Edited by Riner Opoku e Denis Curti which focuses on a critical look at the human soul. A project that investigates man and his relationship with himself, man in the environment in which he lives and in human society, in its folds made of joys, pains, solitudes, passions, insecurities and ideals in a sort of anthropological reflection of the present. With 90 works on display, large formats and site-specific shots, but also video installations and new productions.
From his training with Andy Warhol – in 80s New York – and pop culture, David LaChapelle moved to galleries, culminating in a one-of-a-kind fine art photography characterized by an acute awareness of the times in which we live .
Quoting the words of the curators in the text of the catalog accompanying the exhibition, "David LaChapelle embarked on this journey towards a deeper and more spiritual dimension as early as the 80s and, throughout his career, he has always been able to renew himself through languages and liturgies born of our times, maintaining a recognizable style. A trademark that has to do with a dreamlike and surreal dimension. (…) The exhibition itinerary deliberately does not have a linear trend, because the display refers to a continuous and coherent interweaving of interrelated themes. It is a continuous going in and out of the contradictions of our existence: from the desired miracle to the hell of contemporaneity. "
Works that denounce the vulnerability of the planet and the fragility of man and which reveal the artist's vision towards a new world, which seeks uncontaminated nature where men and women can finally live freed from alienation and in union with the natural context.
Many among works featured in the exhibition refer to the artist's most famous series, such as the very famous shots they made David LaChapelle a living icon of pop culture. With him collaborated superstars such as Madonna, Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, Kim Kardashian, David Hockney, Angelina Jolie, Elizabeth Taylor, Hillary Clinton, Muhammad Ali, Jeff Koons, Uma Thurman, David Bowie, and LaChapelle carries with him this legacy which is an integral part of his artistic world.
Born from the classic subjects of art history revisited with the aesthetic characteristics of his vision Deluge (2006) and the subsequent series After the Deluge (2006-2009), both inspired by the Great Flood of the Sistine Chapel.
In the series Landscape (2013) LaChapelle calls for a critical and conscious use of fossil resources, reminding us that human survival cannot be separated from that of nature. The same for the opera Spree (2019-2020) a production linked to the conflicting theme between nature, civilization and ostentatious opulence. David LaChapelle has built a 35-centimeter model of a cruise ship stranded in a sea of ice, to represent the inexorable crash of the contemporary world and of the future.
Revelations (2020), one of the artist's latest series, is instead the story of a contemporary society anguished by uncertainty and instability, in a scenario where the Apocalypse manifests itself to the point of unleashing panic and despair, but where a little glimmer of light and hope.
In New World (2007-2017) the desire for peace and purity that is transformed into an image is evident: all the protagonists are immortalized in the enchanted rainforest and seem to be looking for new possibilities of interaction with nature and the surrounding world: a new way to deeply connect with the spirit of nature and human beings now appears as a real possibility.
This is the case with the series new shots exhibited for the first time in an exhibition, after the "strong" experience of the two-year pandemic and conceived in the natural context of the Hawaiian forests, where LaChapelle has established his residence.
David LaChapelle
David LaChapelle was born in Connecticut in 1963 and attended the School of the Arts in North Carolina. Originally enrolled as a painter, he developed an analogue technique, starting from hand-painting his own negatives to achieve a 'sublime' color spectrum before processing his films. At age 17, LaChapelle moved to New York City. After his first photography exhibition at Gallery 303, he was hired by Andy Warhol to work at Interview Magazine. Through his mastery of color, unique composition, and imaginative storytelling, LaChapelle began to broaden the photographic genre. His staged tableau, portraits and still lifes challenged traditional photography and his work quickly gained international interest. Over the following decades, LaChapelle became one of the most published photographers worldwide with an anthology of books including La Chapelle Land (1996) Hotel LaChapelle (1999) Heaven in hell (2006) Lost & Found e Good News (2017). Over the past 30 years, LaChapelle has exhibited internationally in galleries and museums including the National Portrait Gallery (London), Musee de Monnaie (Paris), Barbican Center (London), Victoria and Albert Museum (London), Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Fotografiska (Stockholm), Musee D'Orsay (Paris), Groninger Museum (Netherlands), Palazzo delle Esposizioni (Rome), Palazzo Reale (Milan), National Portrait Gallery (Washington DC), Casa dei Tre Oci ( Venice) and La Venaria Reale (Turin). 2022 is the year of his personal exhibition at Mudec (Milan).
