More is more: this motto has driven a new generation of photographers to ironically portray worlds of tinsel, glitter and luxury. A new exhibition in Dusseldorf, "Bling Bling Baby!," features their dazzling work.
Image: Wing Shya
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Art of bling
Bling stands for wealth and decadence. An exhibition in Dusseldorf shows how a generation of photographers is portraying the desire for luxury.
Image: S. Natarajan
Bright is the new black
"Bling is when the yacht sinks and your hair still looks good," says the catalog to the "Bling Bling Baby!" exhibition at the NRW-Forum in Dusseldorf. These ladies, pictured in Hamburg, would fit right in. Bright colors and perfect styling have influenced many photographers in the show - including Esther Haase, who has worked with many fashion labels.
Image: NRW-Forum/Esther Haase
Baroque-like opulence
The exhibition begins - appropriately - with a look in the mirror. When entering "Bling Bling Baby!," visitors first see themselves surrounded by flowers, fruit and animals. A giant wall tapestry, designed by Katarina Stupavska, is reminiscent of the large-scale still lifes common in the baroque era. It incorporates the visitor into the picture - at least in the mirror.
Image: DW/S. Oelze
Berlin nightlife
Carolin Saage went out on the town in Berlin and took her camera along. She was the only person allowed to take photos in the legendary techno club Bar 25, which closed in 2010. Saage spent seven years documenting life on and behind the dance floor. The result is a subjective love song to a past full of glitz and glamour.
Image: C. Saage
Shining city
Italian photographer Olivo Barbieri makes Singapore shine. He travels around the world and photographs buildings by night. Barbieri works with a low depth of focus and a long exposure time to produce his images, a technique that makes this skyscraper in a wealthy part of Singapore look like it was drawn on the computer.
Image: O. Barbieri
African bling
Moroccan-born photographer Hassan Hajjaj portrays the hipster scene in his home country by having his protagonists pose in stereotypical hip-hop positions. Bling isn't just a term for shiny jewelry, but was rapped about by B.G. in his legendary song about yachts, jewels and other status symbols.
Image: NRW-Forum/Hassan Hajjaj
Beauty that hurts
Photographer Daniel Sannwald gave his model, Sang Woo Kim, a gold nose. Beauty has long become an object of obsession. There are no taboos - and even a gold nose is possible. Sannwald dresses his protagonists up like mannequins, using jewelry as a second skin.
Image: NRW Forum/Daniel Sannwald
King of clichés
Photographer Martin Schoeller learned his trade in Berlin but works in the US. He studied with Annie Leibovitz, then made a name for himself with his "honest" portraits. He depicted Jeff Koons, an American artist, in a style that reflects his art - a king of kitsch with a crown of flowers on his head.
Image: NRW Forum/Martin Schoeller
Here come the cyborgs
Andrew Weir, of South Africa, and Christto Sanz of Puerto Rico work together in Qatar. Their art plays with saturated colors, creating surreal scenes. The photographers are inspired by the lifestyle in the Gulf region, where money makes everything possible.
Image: NRW Forum/Christto & Andrew
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Those who decide to visit the exhibition "Bling Bling Baby!" at the NRW-Forum in Dusseldorf shouldn't be averse to kitsch. The photographs on show highlight oversaturated colors, shrill contrasts and surreal motifs.
But nonetheless, the images appear to comment on current events: highly stylized scenes created by star photographers such as Pierre et Gilles or David LaChapelle closely resemble some of the pictures from Donald Trump's private life, for example of his wife Melania in a silk negligee having breakfast at the golden table in their Trump Tower penthouse, with a huge window in the background offering a breathtaking view on Central Park. Gold - lots of it - covers the walls and furniture.
Dark scenes in neon colors
There is a difference, however, when LaChapelle stages a half-naked Naomi Campbell and a perfect sleeping Adonis. At first glance, he appears to be showing beautiful people luxuriously enjoying life in paradise. But a closer look reveals the "angels" that typically play a part of such scenes are actually child soldiers carrying weapons, and that the hole in the wall behind the lounging models was the result of an explosion.
It's not Donald Trump's house, but rather an imaginary bathroom created by Matt HenryImage: NRW Forum/Matt Henry
LaChapelle is not the only photographer to wrap dismal imaginary scenes in cheerful colors. Matt Henry, from Wales, also celebrates kitsch, buying US lifestyle accessories on eBay and using them to create his photos. Nothing is what it appears to be; everything is fake. Even the woman in the bubble bath only exists in Henry's works. That's what makes his pictures so fascinating; their shrillness is reminiscent of the surreal universe of US filmmaker David Lynch.
Among the international photographers working with such contrasts and exaggerations is Martin Schoeller, who was born in Frankfurt and now lives in the US. His portraits highlight the masquerade of beauty and glamour. In one image, actor Michael Douglas appears badly beaten - the effect was created with purple eye shadow.
In his portrait of Jeff Koons, Schoeller added a few more layers of makeup. The face of Koons, renowned for his own kitsch sculptures, is covered with white paint, while his head is crowned with flowers.
Mike Schreiber's portrait of rapper B.G. in 2007Image: M. Schreiber
Desire for luxury
"Bling Bling," a hit single from 1999 by New Orleans rapper B.G., celebrates the world's fascination for luxury - gold Rolex watches, huge TV sets, expensive jewelry and extravagant yachts.
The song contributed to the popularity of the hip-hop expression "bling bling," which has since been added to the Oxford English Dictionary.
With its exhibition, on show until January 15, the NRW-Forum in Dusseldorf is revisiting the bling of art, with many works exploring the luxurious and glamorous aspects of reality. However, "they aren't documentary photos," said curator Nadine Barth.
They all play with illusions and exaggerated opulence - revealing, along the way, some actual truths about the ego of the photographers.
