Archive
Exposed
OstLicht Gallery presented an extensive exhibition of the photographic works of Bryan Adams. Over the last decade, parallel to his impressive career as a rock musician, Bryan Adams has enjoyed international success as a photographer.
On view were portraits of Amy Winehouse, Mick Jagger, Queen Elizabeth II, Dustin Hoffman, Louise Bourgeois, Ben Kingsley, Pink and Mickey Rourke – these are only a few of the illustrious names that have posed for Bryan Adams. »The direct access to many well-known personalities and icons of the music, film, and celebrity scene make Bryan Adams' portraits highly intimate, intense studies, some of which are themselves photographic icons in their own right« – as Sir Elton John highlights in his preface to the publication »Bryan Adams. Exposed«, published by Steidl Verlag.
Many of Adams' portraits and fashion photographs were taken for Zoo Magazine, which he founded in Berlin in 2004. Adams' images play with clichés of the representation of celebrities in public – some show the stars in ironic funny situations, others in intimate moments. However, the photographs of Adams always reflect a deep interest in people. He has mastered both the craft of classic studio photography, as well as the snapshot aesthetic.
The artistic interest of Bryan Adams is not limited to the glamorous world of show business. His other series, which represents an important part in his oeuvre, is dedicated to injured British soldiers who have returned from foreign missions in Afghanistan or Iraq and was as well on display at OstLicht Gallery. These direct, provocative photographs radiate an optimistic, humorous but also, at times, unsettling mood. Adams impressively succeeds with these portraits to capture the pride, humour and the incredible will of these servicemen to live. The series demonstrates the bitter legacy of war, while at the same time a commitment to freedom.
Curated by Anke Degenhard and Mat Humphrey
The photographs are available for sale as archival pigment prints in a limited edition.
IMPRESSIONS FROM THE OPENING
Mickey Rourke 2005
Pigment print