PORTRAIT OF A PERFORMER
HEDI SLIMANE
GALERIE GMURZYNSKA
ZURICH. SEPTEMBER 22 2006
HEDISLIMANE.COM GMURZYNSKA.COM [email protected]
PRESS OFFICE / [email protected]
GALERIE GMURZYNSKA +41 442267070
LIVE PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN AT THE CENTRE OF HEDI SLIMANE’S FASHION AND PHOTOGRAPHIC WORK FOR THE PAST 6 YEARS.
SINCE 2002, « STAGE « (THE STAGE PROJECT, STEIDL, PUBLISHED IN 2004) WAS EXPLORING THE SEMIOTIC, CONVENTIONS OF ROCK PERFORMANCE, THE RITUAL AND THE SACRIFICE , THE GENESIS OF ICONS.
HIS PHOTOGRAPHS, A SERIAL DESCRIPTION OF CULT OBJECTS, AND THEIR METAMORPHOSIS INTO PERFORMANCE, EMBODY THE RENAISSANCE AND CODIFICATION OF AN ROCK CULTURE, AND THE BIRTH OF A NEW PERFORMING GENERATION.
HEDI SLIMANE PHOTOGRAPHED THE ROOTS OF THE LONDON SCENE, THROUGH HIS LATEST BOOK « LONDON BIRTH OF A CULT », EXPLORING THE EMERGING CHAOTIC BRITISH INDIE MOVEMENT, AND ITS CENTRAL CHARACTER, « ANTI-HERO » PETE DOHERTY.
THE PROJECT STARTED AT THE BEGINNING OF BABYSHAMBLES, AND DESCRIBES THE BIRTH OF AN UNKNOWN MUSICIAN RISING INTO AN ABRUPT AND MISHAPED CELEBRITY.
THESE TWO PHOTOGRAPHY BOOKS WERE THE FIRST TO BE PUBLISHED ABOUT A SUB MOVEMENT THAT EXPLODED INTO THE MASS CULTURE
HEDI SLIMANE, EXPLORES THE MECHANISM OF FANATICISM AND FETISHISM, THE REPRESENTATION OF AN ICON, THE PROCESS OF IDENTIFICATION. THROUGH THE SIMULATION OF A FAN’S WORSHIP TOWARDS AN IDOL.
PHOTOGRAPHY
BLACK AND WHITE PRINT ON ALUMINIUM
COURTNEY LOVE, NYC JULY 2006.
THESE NEW PURITANS (PORTRAIT OF THE DRUMMER), LONDON SEPTEMBER 2006
BANKS VIOLETTE IN HIS STUDIO, RECONSTITUTION OF A PERFORMANCE, BROOKLYN JULY 2006-09-11
FILM CAMERA, THE ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL, JUNE 2006
STAGE, SOUND SYSTEM, THE ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL, JUNE 2006
FRAGMENTATION
BLACK AND WHITE PRINT ON ALUMINIUM
PETE DOHERTY, BABYSHAMBLES CONCERT, LONDON 2004 ( FROM LONDON BIRTH OF A CULT ).
PORTRAIT OF A PERFORMER
VIDEO MACHINE AND SOUNDTRACK.
LITTL’ANS PERFORMANCE
RONNIE JOICE, TAMBOURINE FOR THE LONDON BAND LITTL’ANS.
FILMED AGAINST A WHITE BACKGROUND, STEPPING ON A WHITE STAGE, REPRODUCING AN ENTIRE TIMED GIG, RITUALLY PERFORMING AND TRANSPOSING HIS ACT,
THE VIDEO, IN A VERY SMALL FORMAT, IS PROTECTED UNDER A BLACK METAL HOOD.
A BLACK FULL LENGTH MIRROR INVITES THE VIEWER TO PERFORM, COMPLETING THE PIECE.
SELF-PERFORMING MIRROR / PORTRAIT OF A PERFORMER
BLACK MIRROR, ENGRAVED, ON BLACK STAINLESS STEEL
THE VIEWER IS INVITED TO PERFORM. THE DOUBLE REFLECTION, ON BOTH SIDES OF THE MIRROR
DEFINES THE FIELD OF THE ACT AND THE STATE OF TRANSFORMATION.
TRACK PAINTINGS
CANVAS, INDUSTRIAL PAINTING.
AFTER HEDI SLIMANE’S FIRST VINYL, AGED 6 « DAVID BOWIE. LIVE IN PHILADELPHIA »
EACH PAINTING REPRODUCES THE NUMERIC TRACK LIST OF BOWIE’S DOUBLE ALBUM, REDUCING AN ENTIRE PERSONAL MYTHOLOGY AND CONSTRUCTION OF IDENTITY, INTO A PRECISE MECHANICAL COUNTDOWN.
MY BIRTHDAY PRESENT JULY 2005
VOICE MEMO AND TRACK VIDEO MACHINE
INSTALLATION, AFTER PETE DOHERTY RECORDING SESSION
PORTRAIT OF A DEFEATED BAND
INSTALLATION. THE LIBERTINES (CARL BARAT / PETE DOHERTY)
STAGE MICROPHONES, GREY GLASS CABINET, WIRE.
HEDI SLIMANE’ S ARTIFICIAL REFORMATION OF MYTHICAL BAND, THE LIBERTINES, THAT SEPARATED OVER PETE DOHERTY’S ADDICTION TO DRUGS.
THE LIBERTINES ARE CONSIDERED BY A WHOLE GENERATION TO BE AT THE ORIGIN OF THIS ENTIRE BRITISH ROCK RENAISSANCE SCENE.
THE REFORMATION OF THIS BAND WOULD BE NOTHING SHORT OF A MIRACLE, AND HAS BEEN SPECULATED IN THOUSANDS OF BLOGS AND PRESS ARTICLES.
THE NAME OF THE PIECE REFERS TO A JIMMY HENDRIX QUOTE ABOUT BANDS THAT ARE INEVITABLY BORN TO DIE. THE LIBERTINES SACRIFICE LEFT A VACUUM TO INSPIRE A WHOLE GENERATION OF BANDS TO RISE .
TRACK PLATES
BLACK LACQUERED STAINLESS STEEL PLATE, ENGRAVED.
A SINGLE SONG CAN DEFINE A GENERATION . A PERSPECTIVE ON COLLECTIVE MEMORY THROUGH ICONIC ANTHEMS.
PANIC ATTACK / THE PADDINGTONS
TIME FOR HEROES / THE LIBERTINES
