Photographer David LaChapelle is exhibiting his new series “Still Life” in the Galerie Daniel Templon in Paris, a reflection on the dark side of stardom, through shots of wax alter egos of planetary cultural icons.
In his new exhibit that will take place until July 26th at the Galerie Daniel Templon in Paris’ 3rd arrondissement, the American photographer known for his sense of provocation is proposing a new artistic approach through a series of photographs, one that bears witness to his vivid interest for the hidden side of the American dream and of art history.
David LaChapelle is an icon hunter, obsessed with celebrity. This very same celebrity that he’s studied from every angle in order to better understand it got up close and personal with him at the start of his career in the 80s. He photographed the biggest stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Campbell, Madonna, Eminem, David Beckham, Hillary Clinton… the list of personalities that posed in front of his lens is a long one. Covers for Vogue or Vanity Fair, music videos directed for Moby and Christina Aguilera, his documentary film “Rize” that took home accolades at the Sundance Film Festival… David LaChapelle is a true jack of all trades. Andy Warhol was the first one to give him his trust by offering to work with him for the magazine Interview; thanks to the artist, David LaChapelle’s career was launched, and today he is considered among the most influential American photographers. His original style takes inspiration just as much from pop culture as it does from pornography and has earned him an avalanche of praise from the four corners of the Earth.
When Dublin’s Wax Museum was vandalized, he rushed over to immortalize the damaged look-alikes. His photographic journey took him across the American continent to California and Nevada. “Still Life” depicts these busts of disfigured celebrities, while LaChapelle’s Surrealist style gives the shots a surprising feeling of authenticity. You can discover Leonardo DiCaprio, John F. Kennedy, Madonna, and Princess Diana, all disfigured, a far cry from the images of them that we’re used to. This is the dark side of pop culture that David LaChapelle wants to emphasize through a reflection on the fragility of these international personalities’ fame and fortune. These ruined figures also betray our fascination with the permanent show that we are spectators of: the fall of our once worshipped idols. After his different photos series like “Plastic People”, “Star System”, and “Pop After Pop”, is the artist now changing his style with “Still Life”?
“I don’t know if it’s really a change of style. When I saw those heads it inspired me right away. I was interested by these faces that were given attention because they were fragile or broken. There’s a relationship with the fragility of our flesh and the fact that we’re growing older.” he responded. David LaChapelle doesn’t want to be confined to one style in particular; he’s been influenced by artists like Michelangelo, Savador Dali, and Jeff Koons, and his talent resides in his capacity to analyze his era, sometimes to even anticipate it. “In the future, artists can’t just be involved in the redefinition of art. In the post-human future, artists will also be involved in the redefinition of life”, he concludes.
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