Vanessa Beecroft shapes performance art, the representation of the female body, and sociopolitical discussions about art: for over twenty-five years her exhibitions highlight the tensions between opposing characteristics while finding a common balance. Nudity and clothing, constraint and freedom, collective and individual, human strength and weakness. Beecroft uses each of her passions, including photography, to represent different perspectives on the body, while combining influences from the Renaissance era with innovative and contemporary representation. Experimentation is her weapon: defining rules belonging to a world absolutely personal, expands the mind toward philosophies that question the meaning of our existence as human beings. The artist’s work takes place through performances focused on an aesthetic that takes inspiration from the world of painting and classical sculpture, also highlighting a strong fashion image. The latter is defined by herself as “an ally” which contributes in the elaboration of her visual language, so much so that it has involved her in multiple projects with fashion brands since the 1990s.
“There are various different types of power. The power I’m interested in is the power to influence opinion and culture, at the cost of bringing about revolution.”
Already in 2018, the artist collaborated with Saint Laurent, realizing a photographic project depicting a group of models dressed in black under the Eiffel Tower, on the occasion of SELF02 during Art Basel in Miami. Anthony Vaccarello again invites Vanessa Beecroft for an exclusive exhibition at the Rive Droite boutiques in Paris and Los Angeles. A series of 14 polaroids shows the Maison’s Spring-Summer 2023 collection through the photographer’s personal and modern lens. The shots focus on significant details: a portrait with maxi sunglasses, shimmering sandals, plunging necklines, a quilted bag hidden by the sleeve of a coat, and Vaccarello’s transparent, monochromatic layering captured in close-up. Beecrof’s contemporary eye proposes her aesthetic to the viewer, presenting at the same time that of the Maison: the polaroids pay attention to the female body while keeping the brand’s signature elegance intact and explore the contrast between nudity and clothing through refined sensuality. The artist does not love to be photographed, because her self-portrait is the models: in each photographs there is something about herself, a distinctive mark that shows her unmistakable character.
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