MANIFESTO

#61

ART NOW

SUSPENDED
SELF-PORTRAITS

2022.12.20

Sam Taylor-Johnson shows herself in photographic self-portraits suspended in the air, explaining her inner conflict and exploring the vulnerability shared by the humans condition. 

Sam Taylor-Johnson has been experimenting and working in photography and video since the early 1990s. Her images and films often examine the social and psychological conditions of contemporary human beings. The British artist shows through her shots her inner reflections and conflicts: the main subjects of her works are in fact often the contrast between being and appearing and the discordance between inner and outer worlds. The characters become part of conflicting scenarios where the sense of interiority becomes fragile and blurred with objective reality. Sam in many of her projects offers an alternative point of view, filming the protagonist in an unusual way, often capturing intimate moments. In the video-portrait to David Beckham, the world’s most photographed celebrity is portrayed serenely asleep, highlighting a personal moment of him that the viewer is not used to seeing, while “Crying Men” is a series of photographic portraits depicting the tears and twisted expressions of male celebrities in moments of despondency. In some works the British artist also creates disturbing images, as in “A Little Death”, which shows the decomposition process of a dead hare. 

SAM TAYLOR-JOHNSON Wired (DeLorean), 2020 Archival print on Hahnemuhle Paper 53 x 40 in / 134.6 x 101.6 cm

“I feel I make suspended self-portraits at junctures in my life where I am looking around and assessing where I am – not just geographically, but emotionally and spiritually. Moments where I feel I’ve got my feet in this world, but at the same time I’m reaching out my arms to try and understand another dimension.”

– Sam Taylor-Johnson

SAM TAYLOR-JOHNSON Wired (Pink Mercedes Vertical), 2020 Archival print on Hahnemuhle Paper 53 x 40 in / 134.6 x 101.6 cm
SAM TAYLOR-JOHNSON Wired (Hare), 2020 Archival print on Hahnemuhle Paper 53 x 40 in / 134.6 x 101.6 cm

The artist’s life has always been divided between Los Angeles and the United Kingdom, her being in the balance between two worlds does not derive only between constantly being on the move between two continents, but also from her physical self and her intangible thinking. The large-scale photographs in her new exhibition, titled Wired, at the Lorcan O’Neill Gallery in Rome represent her inner search for balance. The exhibition, open to the public from December 16th until March 25th, features photographic self-portraits of the artist suspended in the air of the Joshua Tree National Park, California’s rocky desert, tied to cables and construction tools. The photographs explore the vulnerability of the human condition and the precariousness of life amid all its apparent successes. The scorching sun dazzles the atmosphere, and at the center of the rocky landscape dotted with cactus and shrubs the suspended body of the artist appears, hanging in the balance physically and emotionally, embedded in a scenery that portrays her inner state of mind. Vintage American cars, cranes, balloons surrounding her lithe silhouette indicate aspirational dreams of success and abundance. The images immersed in the intense light blue sky portray her as strong, stable, and secure tied to her equipment, but in reality the position highlights her vulnerability, perfectly portraying her conflicted and precarious emotional state. 

“In this age where every image is re-touched, it felt truthful to show the machinery which supported me in the air and held me suspended between land and sky.”

– Sam Taylor-Johnson

PHOTOGRAPHY

LUIGI & IANGO. UNVEILED

2023.09.21

A visionary creative expression characterized by breaking roles and codes, the invention and construction of characters that create a unique visual narrative, but above all reveal a truth that only Luigi & Iango know how to capture.

LOUIS VUITTON

GHESQUIÈRE OCTOBER 2014

2023.09.20

The GO-14 bag, an acronym for Ghesquière October 2014, originated as one of the first creations to mark the designer’s debut at the head of the Louis Vuitton Maison.

NEWS

On Foot

2023.09.19

The exhibition On Foot, curated by Jonathan Anderson at Offer Waterman Gallery, will bring contemporary artists in dialogue with works of modern British Art and some interventions conceived by the designer himself.

EXHIBITION

MODE ET SPORT. D'UN PODIUM À L'AUTRE

2023.09.18

Ahead of the 2024 Olympics, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris presents Mode et Sport: from September 20th 2023 will be possible to discover the fascinating interconnections between fashion and sport from the ancient world to the present day.

V&A Museaum

FASHION MANIFESTO

2023.09.15

The first exhibition in the UK dedicated to the visionary couturier Gabrielle Coco Chanel – Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto will open on September 16th 2023 at the Victoria & Albert Museum.