Yesterday might have been the big V day, but it was also the opening of the new exhibition of David LaChapelle’s work, Earth Laughs in Flowers, at Robilant + Voena in Dover Street. And just like Valentines’ celebrations, which are arguably more materialistic than emotional these days, LaChapelle’s new photographs focus on the vanity of humans.
The show consists of a series of Baroque-esque floral still-lifes but with a twist. If you inspect the photographs closely, the debris of contemporary society surrounds the bouquets: Barbie dolls, balloons, a dollar bill are littered in the foreground. The title of the exhibition is a quote from the poem ‘Hamatreya’ by Ralph Waldo Emerson, in which flowers are earth’s laughter at the arrogance of human beings:
‘Earth laughs in flowers, to see her boastful boys
Earth-proud, proud of the earth which is not theirs’
Using lines of poetry as inspiration is a move away from some of LaChapelle’s previous work. He initially became well-known for his surreal photos of Hollywood stars including Mariah Carey, Madonna, Hugh Hefner and Lady Gaga among many more.
The exhibition itself is breaking new ground, as it is on show at four different international galleries simultaneously – in New York, Milan, St. Moritz as well as London.
Whatever your views on LaChapelle and his photos, I think this turn towards a more meditated study of symbolism is worth a visit – you can decide which venue to attend.
David LaChapelle: Earth Laughs in Flowers is on at Robilant + Voena Gallery until 24th March 2012
