Mikael Jansson Unscripted Scenes
November 5, 2020
- Michael Elmenbeck
- Anna-Karin Pusic
- Michael Storåkers
A Journey Through Vitality, Timeless Portraits, and Partying Photographs 1994–2020.
An image of Iggy Pop’s wiry torso. An old man’s skin over a young man’s raging muscles. Rhinestones and red lips, and behind them, the icy, intense gaze of actress Penelope Cruz. Another image: The year is 2011, and rapper Wiz Khalifa is on the verge of his big breakthrough. He’s zoomed in, yet hidden, inaccessible, inside a cloud of smoke, with a stack of gold chains around his neck. Intimacy, dialogue, divine mysteries, and a throbbing sense of a “present”, regardless of whether the dating indicates 1930 or 2020.
In this, Mikael Jansson’s third exhibition of photographs at CFHILL, we chose to present another side of his production: his international works from the last 30 years. Throughout his journey, which has taken him from working with super models like Isabella Rossellini, Kate Moss, and Christy Turlington to making revealing portraits of Iggy Pop, Miuccia Prada, and Penelope Cruz, Jansson’s mastery has been evident from the immediacy of his work, as his inspiration to his mentor Richard Avedon.
The selection of Mikael Jansson’s pictures that was made for the new exhibition, which covers the time from the early 90s until today, intentionally highlights a specific genre: the portrait. Beautiful clothes, enchanted realms, and gorgeous bodies are all part of the core repertoire of any fashion photographer. Capturing a mood, getting close to the unattainable, and producing a sensation in the viewer that allows them to almost feel the heat of the breath of the person in the portrait–that’s Mikael Jansson’s trademark. This has become surprisingly plain in the wake of the last six months of the corona virus pandemic and the impact it’s had on our lives.
Perhaps it was music that laid the foundation for Stockholmborn Mikael Jansson’s particular appreciation for the magic of the moment. In the 70s and 80s, during the golden decades of live concerts, he made a point of capturing the performers and atmosphere during particularly ecstatic moments. After studying under Swedish photographers from previous generations, he headed for New York, where he became the assistant of the legendary Richard Avedon, whose ability to charge his images with restrained, tense sensuality in norm-defying stagings won him fame and admiration. The 90s became a new golden age of creativity in the fashion industry, and in magazines like Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar etc. Jansson isn’t simply counted as one of the adopters of this trend; he actually took part in shaping and phrasing its ideals.
Few fashion photographers have managed to keep their foothold in the industry over this many decades, because the concept of renewal is in the very DNA of their industry.
"Working with Mikael Jansson is a privilege. His knack for erasing the barriers between the glamourous and the everyday, and the way he is able to so naturally enter into dialogue with timeless artistic principles jointly ensure that nobody views his pictures unmoved", says Michael Elmenbeck, Head of Exhibitions at CFHILL.
For this exhibition at CFHILL, Mikael Jansson made four handmade platinum prints. Jansson places a great emphasis on the process of production, which results in smaller formats and print runs. Several of the subjects are only presented in one size; the one Mikael has determined to be optimal for the image in question, like that of Michelle Pfeiffer from 2017. Each image is treated as individual in terms of its size designation, framing, the colour of the frame, and whether a mat has been mounted or not.
The catalogue essay for this exhibition was written by Susanna Brown, a curator and photography expert who is responsible for the photography collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
In Mikael Jansson’s previous exhibitions at CFHILL; Speed of Life in 2017, Jansson presented his intimate encounters with the world of Formula 1, and with the Swedish nature in Daria, The Archipelago Series in 2018, featuring iconic model Daria Werbowy. In 2018 Kulturhuset exhibited WITNESSES, Jansson’s extensive portrait project with images of Holocaust survivors.
Gallery
Mikael Jansson Unscripted Scenes
Léa & Adèle # 1 Villecresnes, 2013, 2013, Silver gelatin print aluminium mount, 93 x 140 cm / Edition of 3 + 2 AP, 46,5 x 70 cm / Edition of 5 + 2 AP
Rebecca in Balenciaga, Paris studio 2019, 2019, Silver gelatin print aluminium mount, 50 x 39 cm (Framed 72 x 59 cm) Edition of 5 plus 2 artist's proofs
Reese Whiterspoon, Nashville 2014, 2014, C-print aluminium mount, 114 x 152 cm (Framed 127 x 164 cm) /Edition of 3 plus 2 AP, 70 x 93 cm (Framed 83 x 105 cm) / Edition of 5 + 2 AP
Miuccia Prada, Milan 2011, 2011, Silver gelatin print aluminium mount, 40 x 32 cm (Framed 62 x 52 cm), Edition of 3 + 2 AP
Michelle Pfeiffer, Chateau Marmont 2017, 2017, Silver gelatin print aluminium mount, 50 x 66,5 cm (Framed 72 x 86,5 cm), Edition of 5 + 2 AP
Tatjana Patitz, Marrakesh 1994, 1994, Platinum Palladium print on aluminium, 45 x 35 cm (Framed 68 x 55 cm) / Edition of 3 + 2 AP, 25 x 20 cm (Framed 48 x 40cm) / Edition of 3 + 2 AP
Venice Beach, Santa Monica 2012, 2012, Silver gelatin print aluminium mount, 50 x 39 cm (Framed 72 x 59cm) Edition of 5 + 2 AP
Alexander Wang, New York studio 2009, 2009, Silver gelatin print aluminium mount, 40 x 61 cm (Framed 62 x 81 cm) / Edition of 5 + 2 AP, 114 x 175 cm (Framed 127 x 187 cm) / Edition of 1 + 2 AP
Millie Bobby Brown, London studio 2016, 2016, Silver gelatin print aluminium mount, 50 x 38,5 cm (Framed 72 x 58,5 cm), Edition of 5 + 2 AP
Raquel in Proenza Schouler, New York studio 2008, 2008, Silver gelatin print aluminium mount, 70 x 58 cm (Framed 92 x 78 cm) / Edition of 3 + 2 AP, 40 x 33 cm (Framed 62 x 53 cm) / Edition of 5 + 2 AP
Rebecca, Paris studio 2019, 2019, Silver gelatin print aluminium mount, 45 x 54 cm (Framed 67 x 74 cm) / Edition of 5 + 2 AP, 70 x 84 cm (Framed 92 x 104 cm) / Edition of 3 + 2 AP
Olympic, 2012, 2012, Silver gelatin print aluminium mount, 70 x 93 cm (Framed 92 x 113 cm) / Edition: 3 + 2 AP, 50 x 67 cm (Framed 72 x 87 cm) / Edition of 5 + 2 AP
Naomi Campbell, London studio 2018, 2018, Silver gelatin print aluminium mount, 40 x 31 cm (Framed 62 x 51 cm) / Edition of 5 + 2 AP, 70 x 54 cm (Framed 92 x 74 cm) / Edition of 3 + 2 AP
Rihanna, Paris 2010, 2010, C-print aluminium mount, 70 x 54 cm (Framed 83 x 66 cm) / Edition of 5 plus 2 artist's proofs, 114 x 88 cm (Framed 127 x 100 cm) / Edition of 3 plus 2 artist's proofs
Penelope Cruz, New York studio 2009, 2009, C-print aluminium mount, 50 x 38,5 cm (Framed 72 x 58,5 cm) Edition of 5 + 2 AP
Malgosia Bela, Paris 2013, 2013, Silver gelatin print aluminium mount, 50 x 38 cm (Framed 72 x 58cm) / Edition of 5 + 2 AP
Rianne in Chanel Haute Couture, Paris 2020, 2020, Silver gelatin print aluminium mount, 45 x 45 cm (Framed 67 x 65 cm), Edition of 5 + 2 AP
Wiz Khalifa smoking, New York 2011, 2011, Silver gelatin print aluminium mount, 50 x 38,5 cm (Framed 63 x 50,5 cm), Edition of 3 + 2 AP
Kate Moss, Tribute to Anita Pallenberg, London Studio 2019, 2019, Silver gelatin print aluminium mount, 50 x 37,5 cm (Framed 72 x 57,5cm), Edition of 5 + 2 AP
Katy Perry Backstage # 2, LA 2012, 2012, Silver gelatin print aluminium mount, 70 x 105 cm (Framed 83 x 117 cm), Edition of 3 + 2 AP
Lara with T-Rex, New York studio 2011, 2011, C-print aluminium mount, 114 x 92 cm (Framed 127 x 104 cm) Edition of 3 + 2 AP
Gary Oldman, Brooklyn 2017, 2017, Platinum Palladium print on aluminium, 45 x 35 cm (Framed 68 x 55 cm), Edition of 3 + 2 AP
Jennifer Lawrence, Lancester 2015, 2015, Silver gelatin print aluminium mount, 114 x 83 cm (Framed 127 x 95 cm) / Edition of 370 x 51,5 cm (Framed 83 x 63,5 cm) / Edition of 5 + 2 AP
Anja Rubik, Ninfa Garden, 2019, C-print aluminium mount, 70 x 53 cm (Framed 83 x 65 cm), Edition 3 + 2 AP
Katy Perry Backstage # 1, LA 2012, 2012, Silver gelatin print aluminium mount, 70 x 46,5 cm (Framed 83 x 58,5cm), Edition of 5 + 2 AP, 114 x 76,5 cm (Framed 127 x 88,5cm) / Edition of 3 + 2 AP
Charlotte Gainsbourg, New York 2016, 2016, Silver gelatin print aluminium mount, 40 x 30 cm (Framed 62 x 50 cm), Edition of 5 + 2 AP
Freja au Louvre, 2010, 2010, Silver gelatin print aluminium mount, 50 x 76 cm (Framed 72 x 96 cm) / Edition of 5 + 2 AP, 80 x 122 cm (Framed 102 x 142 cm) / Edition of 3 plus 2 artist's proofs
Kate Moss, Cotswolds 2018, 2018, C-print aluminium mount, Edition: 5 + 2 AP, 50 x 39 cm (Framed 72 x 59 cm), Edition of 5
Isabella Rosselini, New York 1998, 1998, Platinum Palladium print on aluminium, 25 x 20 cm (Framed 48 x 40 cm) / Edition of 3 plus 2 artist's proofs, Silver gelatin print aluminium mount, 50 x 39,5 cm (Framed 72 x 59,5cm) / Edition of 5 + 2 AP
Cherry Blossom, Bronx New York 2014, 2014, C-print aluminium mount, 70 x 93 cm (Framed 83 x 105 cm) /Edition of 5 + 2 AP, 114 x 152 cm (Framed 127 x 164 cm) /Edition of 3 plus 2 artist's proofs147 x 196 cm /Edition of 1 + 2 AP
Iggy Pop, Miami studio #3, 2010, 2010, Platinum Paladium print on aluminium, 35 x 45 cm (Framed 68 x 55 cm / Edition of 3 + 2 AP, 215 x 144 cm / Edition of 5 (#5/5)
Christy Turlington, New York studio, 2015, 2015, Silver gelatin print aluminium mount, 50 x 43 cm (Framed 72 x 63cm), Edition 5 + 2 AP
Edie with shell, Mauritius 2018, 2018, C-print aluminium mount, 60 x 47 cm (Framed 82 x 67 cm), Edition of 5 + 2 AP
