Dis nɔto jɔs wan big – di big wan, fɔ tru – ɛgzibishin fɔ Paolo Roversi in wok, i de bak in fɔs wan na Paris, di siti usay in wok as fashɔn fotografa bigin insay 1973. Dɛn opin di ɛgzibit na di Paris fashɔn myuziɔm we nem Palais Galliera. Di ɔganayza dɛn gɛda 140 foto wok dɛn, inklud sɔm we di pipul dɛn nɔ ɛva si bifo, dɛn ad tin dɛn lɛk magazin, lukbuk, inviteshɔn wit Roversi in futej, ɛn di pɔsin we tek di foto in Palaroids. Na Sylvie Lécallier, we na di edman fɔ di foto dɛn we de na di myuziɔm, bin gɛda ɔl dis. Dɛn prɛzɛnt dɛn togɛda fɔ di fɔs tɛm as di sɛlibreshɔn fɔ Roversi in 50 ia na fɔtografi, dɛn sho di visitɔ dɛn wetin de go insay in art ɛn aw i de wok.
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Di big big pat pan Roversi in wok dɛm injɔnal, ɛn na dis ɛgzibishin in patikyula, na pɔtrɛt (pan ɔl we foto dɛn de bak fɔ in fav kamɛra ɛn wan dɔg maybe in favrit bak, bɔt dɛnsɛf, na so pɔtrɛt dɛn we gɛt sɔm kayn tin dɛn). Ɛn bikɔs ɔf di patikyula we aw i de wok, di bɔku bɔku pipul dɛn we di pikchɔ dɛn de tɔk bɔt na mɔdal; i dɔn wok wit ɔl di fambul fashɔn mɔdel dɛn fɔ di las 30 ia, bɔt i nɔ kin shot bɔku pipul dɛn pikchɔ. Bɔt ivin we i de shot di fambul mɔdel dɛn, i nɔ de ɛva riprodyuz di klish dɛn we di pipul dɛn sabi: i nɔ de tayp in sɔbjɛkt dɛn as sɛxy gɔd uman dɛn, gyal pikin dɛn we de ple ple wit dɛn, androgynous androids, ɔ ɔda pɔpul stereotypes. Insay wan pan in intavyu, Roversi tɔk dis bɔt in art, pan ɔl we i kɔl am “tɛknik”, nɔto “at”: “Wi ɔl gɛt wan kayn mask fɔ ɛksprɛshɔn. Yu se gudbai, yu smayl, yu de fred. A kin tray fɔ tek ɔl dɛn mask ya ɛn pul smɔl smɔl te yu gɛt sɔntin we klin lɛf. Wan kayn abandɔn, wan kayn absɛns. I luk lek absens, bot infakt wen dis ɛmti de a tink se di intɛriɔ biuti de kɔmɔt. Dis na mi teknik."
Kate Moss nɔ tan lɛk di kwin fɔ heroin chik, Natalia Vodianova nɔ tan lɛk fawn we de fred, ɛn Stella Tennant nɔ tan lɛk Virginia Woolf’s Orlando. Wetin apin to dɛn ɔl na jɔs wetin Roversi se: i de tek ɔl dɛn mask ya te na sɔntin we klin nɔmɔ lɛf. Paradoksal, dis disengagement we in kamɛra mek nɔ de amplify di distans bitwin di pɔsin we de wach ɛn di mɔdel dɛn, bɔt i de ridyus am, de briŋ dɛn nia wi insay dɛn mɔtalman, wit ɔl dɛn pasɔnal idiosyncrasies. Dis na sɔntin we wi kin notis mɔ na di Nudi siriɔs, we bigin insay 1983 wit wan nyud pikchɔ fɔ Inès de La Fressange fɔ Vogue Homme, we dɛn shot di ayt we in wok bin de, ɛn afta dat i kɔntinyu as in prayvet prɔjek, usay i bin tek foto we pipul dɛn sabi ɛn we nɔ so fambul mɔdel dɛn. Ɔltɛm na di sem we – nekɛd, ful-sayz pɔtrɛt, luk dairekt insay di kamɛra, ɔnda dairekt ful layt we nɔ gɛt shado, shot insay blak ɛn wayt, ɛn afta dat ri-shot pan 20x30 Polaroid – ɛn dis ifɛkt we tan lɛk se i de fa ɛn we de mek ɔlman gɛt wanwɔd dɔn gɛt mek wan spɛshal dip ɛn ɛksprɛsiv. Dɛn kin gɛda dɛn na di ɛgzibishin na wan sɛpret rum – ɛn sɔntɛm dis na di pat we kin tɔch in at pas ɔl, bikɔs dɛn nekɛd bɔdi ya nɔ gɛt ɛnitin fɔ du wit mami ɛn dadi biznɛs.
In jenɛral, Roversi lɛk fɔ wok wit di 8x10 Polaroid kamɛra, di fim fɔ we dɛn nɔ de mek igen, ɛn di pɔsin we tek di pikchɔ as i se dɔn bay ɔl wetin i ebul fɔ fɛn. Dis kamɛra dɔn kam fɔ gɛt sɔntin fɔ du wit in difrɛn ɛn rili rɛkɔgniz stayl we de yuz kɔlɔ ɛn layt fɔ mek ɛfɛkt fɔ wan peint. Ɛn ivin we i de yuz ɔda kamɛra dɛn, di ifɛkt de de. Bɔku pipul dɛn dɔn tray ɛn de tray fɔ kɔpi dis ifɛkt, bɔt di rizɔlt kin bi sɔntin we kin mek wi mɛmba di wok we AI de du. Yu kin si Roversi in ɔrijinal majik rialism ditayli na di ɛgzibishin – insay in shot fɔ Vogue France, Vogue Italia, Egoïste, ɛn Luncheon, insay in kampen fɔ Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garcons, ɛn Romeo Gigli. Di wok we di ɛgzibishin in scenographer Ania Martchenko, we mek sɔm pan in signature trompe-l’œil in di fɔm fɔ wan winda ɔ wan domɔt we opin smɔl we de pul layt, de ɛksplen di masta in yus fɔ layt ɔl tu mɛtafɔrik ɛn literal.
Bɔt Paolo Roversi in yon intarakshɔn wit fashɔn, wit fashɔn kɔllɛkshɔn, na rili yunik – i de shot insay wan we we de mek am sɛkɔndari sɔbjɛkt fɔ di pikchɔ, bɔt di foto dɛn nɔ de stɔp fɔ bi fashɔn. As i se insɛf: “Di klos na big pat pan fashɔn pikchɔ. Na big pat pan di tɔpik. Ivin if, fo mi, evri fashon piksho tan laik portreit – a de si and trit evri piksho laik portreit, of uman o man o boi – bot di klos de olwes de and dem fit mek di intapreteshon of di piksho plenti mɔ at fɔ du.”
Na di rayt fɔ yuz am: © Paolo Roversi
Tɛks: Ɛlɛna Stafyeva