VICE PHOTOS By Miranda July and Roe Ethridge

VICE PHOTOS
By Miranda July and Roe Ethridge

STYLING BY JENNIFER JOHNSON
Hair by John Ruggiero for Frank Reps,
Makeup by Yumi for Frank Reps,
Photo assistance by Marc Tatti,
General assistance by Nate Harrington

David Seidner: Paris Fashions, 1945 Opens at the International Center of Photography

David Seidner, Robert Piguet, Raphaël, Pierre Balmain, 1990. © International Center of Photography, David Seidner Archive.

NEW YORK, NY.- David Seidner: Paris Fashions, 1945 presents photographs of a collection of couture-clad dolls made for the Théâtre de la Mode, a wildly creative effort by the French fashion industry to broadcast to the world that they were back in business after World War II. In 1990, contemporary fashion photographer David Seidner (1957–1999) was asked to photograph the dolls for a reconstruction of the original project. Through September 6, 2009, fifteen of these color photographs from the David Seidner Archive, along with one of the original dolls, are view at the International Center of Photography.  After the liberation of 1944, the French couture industry was badly weakened. Shortages of food, electricity, and supplies brought production to a virtual standstill. During the Occupation, strict fabric rations were imposed on the couture houses, which faced the constant threat of foreclosure. To help revive the international stature of the business, the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne conceived of a small exhibition, Théâtre de la Mode. With limited access to materials, the organizers commissioned wire-frame dolls just over two feet tall as the models and invited the major fashion designers of the day, including Balenciaga, Jacques Fath, Lucien Lelong, Elsa Schiaparelli, and Pierre Balmain, to create exquisite miniature dresses.  The exhibition of over 230 dolls, displayed in artist-designed sets, opened in Paris on March 27, 1945 in the Pavillon Marsan at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. The international creative talent involved in the project included the Frenchmen Jean Cocteau, Christian Bérard, and Éliane Bonabel; the Russian Boris Kochno; and the Catalan Joan Rebull. The show was an instant sensation, and traveled to London, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Vienna, New York, and, finally, San Francisco. Within the year, the French fashion industry had been revived. The dolls had completed their work spectacularly and were donated to the Maryhill Museum near Portland, Oregon, where they disappeared from public view.  In 1990, the dolls were rediscovered and returned to Paris, where they were recoiffed and restyled for an exhibition at the Musée de la Mode. Because of his pioneering work photographing French fashion and historical gowns, David Seidner was asked to photograph the little dolls. In his images, Seidner captures the essence of French postwar style. The rough, abandoned sets he used echoed the backdrop of the original exhibition, and also stand in for the environment in post-Occupation Paris. Like the postwar fashion photographs made in front of bombed buildings, the coiled ropes, splintering wood, shards of glass, and exposed wire in Seidner’s photographs attest to the precariousness of life and fashion at the time, and underscore the courage and spirit of the people who persevered.  David Seidner (February 18, 1957–June 6, 1999) was born in Los Angeles and worked as a photographer for twenty-five years, spending much of his time in Paris. Among the world’s top fashion photographers, he was perhaps best known for his work with the fashion house of Yves Saint Laurent, his striking formal portraiture and nude photographs, and for his orchid series, the final project before his death in 1999. His artwork and portraiture were largely inspired by the chance-based philosophy of composer John Cage, whose work considered the classical Chinese book the I Ching as the basis for musical pieces. via Artdaily

Grégoire Alexandre

Jettez un coup d'oeil sur le portfolio en ligne de Grégoire Alexandre

BAMAKO - 7th African Photography Meeting at Centre de Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona

Maazouz Azamourm, Camel Boy.

BARCELONA.- The Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona presents the exhibition Bamako – 7th African Photography Meeting, curated by Pep Subirós, from 24 February to 1 June 2009. As in previous years, Bamako has two main objectives. The first is to present an overview of contemporary African photography, a particularly outstanding art on the creative scene of that continent, which, despite its geographical proximity, is only now beginning to receive the attention its cultural and artistic vitality deserves. The second is to showcase the importance of the Rencontres Africaines de la Photographie, a biennial event which, after seven outings, is now consolidated as one of Africa’s biggest artistic meeting points. With these objectives as its base, and thanks to an agreement with the organizing bodies of the Rencontres in Bamako, the show at the CCCB presents the pick of the 2007 event: some 200 photographies and a selection of original videos, and printed and film documentation. With the title “In the City and Beyond”, most of the seventh Rencontres Africaines de la Photographie de Bamako centres on the theme of the urban phenomenon. The urban phenomenon rather than the city because, over and beyond the usual reductive views that see cities as material, functional structures and devices, they are, in reality, fundamentally networks of relations between individuals and social groups. In addition to its specific theme, represented in particular by a selection of some 150 photographs from the “International Exhibition”, this latest review of the Rencontres at the CCCB includes the “Tribute” to a foremost African photographer, the late Serge Jongué (Guyana, 1951-2006); a “Monograph” given over entirely to Samuel Fosso, one of the great contemporary creators who are taking photography to the forefront of the visual arts; and, finally, a selection of the original videos submitted in the section “New Images”. via Artdaily

Weird Beauty: Fashion Photography Now

J A N U A R Y 1 6 – M A Y 3, 2 0 0 9

This exhibition, organized by Carol Squiers and Vince Aletti, will present the most innovative fashion photography of the last few years, from photographers who draw on a range of influences, including art, sexuality, narrative, digital media, and youth culture. It will also consider the impact of graphic design on the way that fashion photography is presented. Along with original photographic prints, the exhibition will feature hundreds of tear sheets and magazine covers from both mainstream and independent publications, by a range of photographers including Steven Meisel, Cindy Sherman, Mario Sorrenti, Nick Knight, Steven Klein, Miles Aldridge, Paolo Roversi, and Sølve Sundsbø, along with video displays. Miles Aldridge Spot the Fake #1 (Published: New York Times, T Magazine), 2006 © Miles Aldridge Courtesy of the artist Michael Thompson Ruffled Neck, New York City, 2007 © Michael Thompson Courtesy of the artist Tim Walker Alice Gibb and Olga Sherer, Sennowe Park, Norfolk, England, November 2007 © Tim Walker Courtesy of the artist Juergen Teller © Juergen Teller Courtesy of the artist Steven Klein Untitled, 2008 © Steven Klein Courtesy of the artist It's opening on January 16th if you are in NYC. (press release) via ICP

Eleanor Hardwick: 15, photographer.

She's been everywhere from Dazed, to the independant via the BBC.
Check out her work on flickr

Photo: Eleanor Hardwick

Florence & Johann

THE KINGS AND THE QUEENS pictures made with Johann Besse for Magazine

FLORENCE is a graphic designer & illustrator, & JOHANN is a photographer. They live and work in Switzerland.

Florence & Johann