The brouhaha associated with fashion and the industries that gravitate around it constitute an event in itself. Together, they stir the imagination... A trio of summer exhibitions provides an opportunity to savor that world from different angles: that of the photographe de mode, the artist and advertiser.
L’Etoffe des Rêves: Gérard Uféras’ fashion photos
Running parallel with the exhibition “Jouer la luminière,” the works of Gérard Uféras, a prominent photojournalist partially responsible for the Vu agency’s creation in 1986, are on display at the Musée de la Mode et du Textile (107-109 rue de Rivoli, 1er, tel: 01 44 55 58 78) until August 26. This rambling show occupies two rooms on the ground floor, and continues outside the doors of the museum’s permanent exhibition.
Clothes may not always be sophisticated today, however, when viewed through the lens of Uféras, the creations of both great and unknown designers take on a grand allure drenched in the kind of emotion, usually thought of as the prerogative of fashion photography dating from the 1960s, and earlier.
Be it the fleeting gesture of a makeup artist putting that last bit of paint on the model’s lips, or the hairstylist blow-drying her locks to sculptural dimensions — the visitor is drawn into transient moments of excitement by Uféras’ imposing, high-contrast XXL black and white vision. You have the impression of peaking over the shoulder of the stylist, glancing up from the foot of the podium, experiencing that special behind-the-scenes frenzy, just before the model steps out on the catlwalk. Uféras’ photos aren’t about the garments. Instead, they implicate the onlooker in the backstage trepidations surrounding a collection, “freezing” that situation, and resuming it in a 2-D documentary format.
Since 1999, Gérard Uféras has been involved in the infernal spiral of fashion shows that see journalists running from New York to London, and Milan to Paris. With their great sense of rhythm, space and freedom, these photos are a departure from straight fashion documentation, which usually either highlights the model, or concentrates on the clothes. Far removed from the sophistication of luxurious advertising campaigns, Uféras’ pix are not meant to incite you to buy anything. Rather, the photographer captures the sharp beauty contained in a mundane gesture, or natural pose.
Made in Mode
For its eighth edition, an annual exhibition called Courant d’art à Deauville, is coming to Paris. In the starting block — 30 artists in the areas of photography, video, painting and drawing, as well as fashion and interior design. All invited to participate in creating installations, in what are normally the horse stalls of Elie de Brignac. All asked to explore different modes of expression, in connection with concepts such as... Who sets the fashion in arts and style, and other fields? And, given that the very word “fashion” belongs to a highly codified world... could it be that one of contemporary art’s functions is to ad[dress] our own inner questions, via a multiplicity of disciplines? By the time you read this, a celebrity jury will have chosen seven artists to be exhibited in a sequel to the Deauville show to be seen at La Réserve d’Area (50, rue d’Hauteville,10e, tel: 01 45 23 31 52), till June 30 .
250 Ans de la Publicité
An ephemeral art, advertising invades our collective consciousness through the impact of images. It uses a variety of strategies, to seduce, convince and convey a message, in order to launch all kinds of brands, creating consumer needs in the process. From lithography to digital technology and banners on the Internet, advertisers have always known how to adapt their methods, inventing new media and new targets. An art in its own right, la publicité encapsulates cultural and sociological trends. A key player, on the economic front, it contributed to 19th century industrialization, much as it boosts today’s global market.
Though its collections, the Musée de la Publicité (107 rue de Rivoli, 1er, tel: 01 44 55 59 60) retraces the great milestones of the history of advertising beginning with its first posters in 1750. This thematic expo covers two categories, “Major Media” — advertising through the press, posters, cinema, radio and TV — and “Other Media” — for instance, the use of catalogs, packaging, “junk mail” and free gifts, for promotional purposes.
Devised by scenographer, Leroy Mufferer Studio, it takes the visitor on a tour of the advertising scene from 1990 to 2001. It zeroes in on a number of topics, including: cultural phenomena (1970-90), multi-disciplinary campaigns (1950-70), an insider’s view of the industry (1940-70), ads between the two world wars (1920-39), the beginning of modern publicity (1880-1905) and the birth of advertising as a medium (1750- 1880). There are posters by big names like Toulouse-Lautrec, Mucha, Bonnard, Villemot and others, as well as a flashbacks documenting the evolution of the strategy of brands such as Dim hosiery, Benetton and Renault, to name but a few.
