Fashion Story(ies) Photography Exhibition

JAKARTA, INDONESIA
Edited by Robin Chen
Written by Aria Gita
Source • Polka Galerie


Yves Saint Laurent and Carla Bruni by Jean-Marie Périer

A

s the grand lobby doors of Plaza Indonesia slide open, the first that one notices are the words, Fashion Story(ies), in large, shocking pink letters, behind which are rows of strategically placed works of fashion photography. In collaboration with the Polka Galerie, Centre Culturel Français (CCF) exposes Jakarta to another side of fashion that very few have had the chance to witness, as part of the seventh annual Printemps Français. The exhibition showcases the essence of the art of fashion through the lenses of four magnificent photographers, each with their own point of view.

Jean-Marie Périer possesses a dramatic flair to his works; the colors are lush, and the direction is nothing less of theatrical, making viewers helplessly desire to enter the majestic world which he captures. Most of the works featured in the exhibition feature a legendary designer or a fashion icon. A chiaroscuro composition featuring John Galliano, circa 1994, was captured in an abandoned mansion; illuminated were not the subjects but the wooden shavings on the floor. The designer leans on a chaise, his piercing gaze directed at the viewer; a model sits delicately nearby, her golden tulle gown blooming and beaming like a daffodil; in fact, from a distance, one might mistake her for one. Another photograph captures Yves Saint Laurent peering through a rich, burgundy curtain, while waiting for a show to commence.

 

While Périer depicts in his works the desirable glamour and elegance of the fashion industry, Derek Hudson's indicates through his photography the human behind the name. One of his featured works is that of Yves Saint Laurent's desk, in a simple room with minimalist furniture, something very few of us would expect from a designer of such caliber and personality. The room is cluttered with sketches, books, and stationery; yet, there is order in the juxtaposition of the objects, such that they appear to have been placed with effortless purpose and thoughtfulness, as also apparent in his own designs. A scene captured from a Yohji Yamamoto show in 1997 depicts a model walking past rows of analyzing editors and clients, some of whom appear genuinely intrigued, while others look at her with disinterest.

  

Françoise Huguier refrains from depicting her subjects on the glamorous pedestal the world has come to associate with fashion. A work titled Fatim portrays a woman in an empty apartment as a table, her red dress the color of the chairs which surround her; her head, half engulfed in shadows, is stretched back as though she truly is an inanimate object, serving only as décor. Retour d'enterrement portrays four individuals walking on a singular dirt road, surrounded by pineapple plants. The dreary mood of the composition, defined by the somber skies, the earthy palette, and the provincial setting, is contrasted with the intensity of the vibrant, chrome yellow shirt and cardigan of the woman in the center.

 

Gérard Uféras, once a wedding photographer, has had indicated his interest in ballet in his work. He depicts fashion with the same delicate tenor. The faces of his subjects are shaded, as though to emphasize the form of the woman. One photograph depicts a woman lying sideways on a bar, near bottles of liquor, the fabric of her sheer dress defining her curvature, as though it were a layer of skin, indicating the fulfillment of infatuation with worldly luxury.

The exhibition runs until the third of July, at Plaza Indonesia, in Jakarta.

Photographs courtesy of the  Polka Galerie.