WILLY VANDERPERRE prints, films, a rave and more… A review by Lawrence Murray
1/05/2024 The Fashion Museum Antwerp (MoMu) recently unveiled its must see exhibition showcasing works of Belgian fashion photographer Willy Vanderperre. MoMu highlights his relationship and collaboration with long-term partner Olivier Rizzo, who created campaigns for Belgian designer Raf Simons, also featured throughout the exhibition. A curated collection of Vanderperre’s work includes pictures for leading fashion magazines (such as Vogue, i-D, AnOther Magazine) and leading fashion houses such as Dior and Prada, and give us insight into the man behind the work.
Vanderperre grew up in Southwest Flanders, and briefly studied fashion at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp before dropping out of his course to pursue photography. This decision was encouraged by his contemporary, Walter Van Beirendonck, a member of the celebrated “Antwerp Six”, a group of influential Belgian fashion designers. Vanderperre had significant contact with all members of the Antwerp Six, but it was Van Beirendonck who specifically encouraged him to pursue photography. Over the course of 30 years, and continuing to this day, Vanderperre's work has consistently challenged traditional fashion photography norms and is now widely praised for his signature rebellious style and sharp eye. Vanderperre is a pioneer of artistic fashion photography, as fashion photography prior to his career consisted largely of commercially produced catalogues. As one might expect, the majority of the exhibition consists of Vanderperre’s photographic works, but the space also comprises works from different mediums.
Next to Vanderperre’s photography, he has personally selected works, including paintings, that have inspired him. For a fashion museum, only one physical piece of clothing was to be found throughout the whole exhibition: a T-shirt with the slogan “Protect me from what I want”. The T-shirt was the the staff uniform of Club 55 in Kuurne, where Vanderperre first encountrerd the world of techno as a 17 year old boy. This formed his fascination with subcultures and youth.
The exhibition starts with a picture of a model wearing a T-shirt, designed by Rizzo. The model has his back turned to us. This picture is about the clothes, not the model. Vanderperre often plays with the dynamic of the clothes being worn by the model and the model itself. Sometimes the model is nearly hidden, othertimes the model becomes the subject. Julia Nobis (Australian model and longtime muse of Vanderperre) is the face of the exhibition. In bold, graphic makeup and a cold, vaguely unsettling pose, she has a near 'extraterrestrial' look. In the exhibition, one of the first pictures we encounter is Nobis, as sober as can be: no clothes, no makeup. Vanderperre calls this the model's “most pure form”. He states that youth is also the most pure state of being in life. Vanderperre, Rizzo and Simons share an obvious passion for youth and related subcultures. We get a taste of this even before entering the exhibition. Rave music is played in front of the sliding doors before entering. Vanderperre’s interest in capturing youth and purity is seen in the first images the visitor encounters. These nude images are of his longtime muses, whom he has been working with since they were teenagers and thus seen grow up in front of the camera. He has stated that he would like to pay an homage to them with this exhibition.
Vanderperre’s curation of the exhibition is cleverly thought out. The space is divided in 3 sections: A long, black corridor starting with early pictures of his muses and progressing into celebrities he admires (all stripped to their core; being black and white, nude or minimal makeup) create a juxtaposition agains the dramatic black walls. These black walls continue halfway throughout the exhibition, when suddenly the walls change to white. The division between these contrasting binary colours seem to represent the constant balance of light and dark in life, something Vanderperre states he has had to come to terms with in his own life. This creative tension is seen throughout his works.
Photography as art is still a somewhat controversial topic for a lot of people, myself included, some even refusing to label it as ‘real art’. Vanderperre and MoMu beautifully counter this. Vanderperre mentioned that it was very important to have a ‘focal center work’ in each room. In the first room, we encounter one of Vanderperre’s most iconic pictures: model Robbie Snelders with Mickey Mouse painted on his face. Right across this work we find a portrait of Rinus Van de Velde. We also see an image of a wounded foot, immediately making me think of Berlinde de Bruyckere and her wax creations of disembodied limbs presented recently at the Venice Biennale. These are celebrated living contemporary Belgian artists. In this same room we see a picture by Vanderperre of two men fighting. Right next to this hangs a 16th century painting of Hercules and Antaeus (A Greek mythological scene of Hercules killing the giant Antaeus). The art historical references aren’t limited to 16th century paintings. References to the Flemish primitives and Carravagio are seen throughout Vanderperre’s works. These reflect a sense of timelessness of art and themes. The varying references provide an insight to the organic evolution of mediums throught art history. Vanderperre enjoys playing with historical themes, and puts them in a contemporary guise. Even stating that Carravagio’s works are ‘modern day Instagram posts’. Vanderperre has also selected Phillipe Vandenberg’s, “The Kiss”, (1989) to be displayed. He tells us that it reminds him of his Flemish Catholic upbringing, Southwest Flanders and the Fassbinder films he loves. This painting shows us that photography and paint on canvas can relate to each other on equal footing, challenging viewers' limiting beliefs when it comes to categorizing art.
Vanderperre’s work against Lucas Cranach the Elder’s “Hercules and Anateus”, ca. 1530.
Rebelling against societal norms is synonymous with Vanderperre. Throughout the exhibition, we see a critique of Western consumer society. This can be quite literal and raw, as seen in the selected work by Ashley Bickerton, “Tormented Self-Portrait: Susie et Arles (25 years), (2014), a self-portrait of someone based on logos. Or it can be more subtle, like the reflection of a McDonald’s logo in a window of a portrait. Halfway through the visit, you enter a room with a 25-minute-long video compilation of Vanderperre’s commercial work. Here, we encounter campaigns for major fashion houses. It feels like we are personally stepping into Vanderperre’s brain. Multiple screens flash campaigns from all sides, a news ticker provides us text as an insight into Vanderperre’s creative process, and speakers read out the text. Vanderperre wanted to “create a sort of Times Square feeling, an abundance of images and info”. Unlike a lot of artists, who move to New York to catch this buzz, Vanderperre has been loyal to Belgium and has successfully recreated that feeling here. He shows us how this energy is at the heart of all his work. He talks about the buzz he gets before a shoot, the tension in the air, and the atmosphere he strives to create on set. As talented as Vanderperre is, he gives a lot of credit to his models, team, and partner for the final outcome of the work. Together, they have the mission to make an even better picture. When the visitor walks out of this room, suddenly all those black walls we got used to are white. For me, it’s like a clean slate for Vanderperre’s seemingly restless creativity and career.
We end the exhibition with a picture of a T-shirt, just like at the start. The T-shirt reads: “Protect me from what I want”. However, this time, no model is wearing the T-shirt. It’s been put on an empty chair, which has pants and shoes placed at the end of its legs. Personally, it’s quite clear what this means. Willy Vanderperre invites us to sit in the chair. To be the model, to be the rebel, to be the change. In a sense, Vanderperre’s models become role models for us. They spark dialogue, they make us think, but most importantly, they inspire.
“WILLY VANDERPERRE prints, films, a rave and more…” runs from 27 March till the 4th of August 2024.
