David LaChapelle unveils his latest series of photographs in
his exhibition, Awakened, at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery in New York on February 24th from 6pm until 8pm.

Awakened is an exhibition of LaChapelle’s new and iconic works. The show introduces a
selection of his most recent photography series. Inspired by the biblical narrative of the great
flood, LaChapelle injects the apocalyptic narrative with his own intense modernity.

Thirty of LaChapelle’s iconic images will serve as an introduction to his years of photographic social commentary. The juxtaposition of the old works and new will give the effect of a before the flood and after, continuing the narrative quality of his work.

Awakened serves as a poignant title to the exhibition, as the works and career of LaChapelle take a new turn. The show will serve as an arrival at a new chapter in LaChapelle’s photography as he develops the subject matter of future works.

With the help of his longtime producer, Fred Torres, LaChapelle has the support of the industry’s most influential and well-known Gallery’s and Museums. Currently, LaChapelle’s works are hanging in two exhibitions in Berlin at the Helmut Newton Foundation and the renowned Rafael Jablonka Galerie.

In Milan, The full series of his new works will be unveiled in a large-scale LaChapelle show that the city of Milan plans to have in September. The exhibition being planned will be shown at its premier art museum, the Palazzo Reale. Fred Torres will curate his first ever show alongside celebrated curator, Gianni Mercurio. Mercurio is well known for his sensational exhibition, The Basquiat Show at the Milan Triennale.

The exhibition, Awakened, runs from February 24th until April 28th at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery at 544 West 26th Street.

Also... 

 David LaChapelle : Heaven to Hell

The third installment of LaChapelle’s trilogy

“The only link between Andy Warhol and J-Lo.” —GQ, London, on David LaChapelle

LaChapelle Heaven to Hell is the long-awaited third volume in an exhilarating trilogy that began with LaChapelle Land (1996) and continued with the infamous Hotel LaChapelle (1999). Packed with astonishing, color-saturated, and provocative images, those titles both became instant collector’s items and have since gone through multiple printings. Featuring almost twice as many images as its predecessors, LaChapelle Heaven to Hell is an explosive compilation of new work by the visionary photographer. Since the publication of Hotel LaChapelle, the strength of LaChapelle’s work lies in its ability to focus the lens of celebrity and fashion toward more pressing issues of societal concern.

LaChapelle’s images — of the most famous faces on the planet, and marginalized figures like transsexual Amanda Lepore or the cast of his critically acclaimed social documentary Rize — call into question our relationship with gender, glamour, and status. Using his trademark baroque excess, LaChapelle inverts the consumption he appears to celebrate, pointing instead to apocalyptic consequences for humanity itself. While referencing and acknowledging diverse sources such as the Renaissance, art history, cinema, The Bible, pornography, and the new globalized pop culture, LaChapelle has fashioned a deeply personal and epoch-defining visual language that holds up a mirror to our times.

Sumptuously packaged in the trilogy's boxed hardcover format, LaChapelle Heaven to Hell is a must-have for anyone interested in contemporary photography. It is also keenly priced, especially for those who have coveted TASCHEN’s limited edition, LaChapelle, Artists & Prostitutes.

The artist: Not yet out of high school, David LaChapelle was offered his first professional job by Andy Warhol to shoot for Interview magazine. His photography has been showcased in numerous galleries and museums, including Tony Shafrazi Gallery and Deitch Projects in New York, the Fahey-Klein Gallery in California, Camerawork in Germany, Sozzani and Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Italy. His unfettered images of celebrity and contemporary pop culture have appeared on and between the covers of magazines such as Italian Vogue, French Vogue, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stoneand i-D. LaChapelle has also directed music videos for artists such as Moby, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and The Vines. His burgeoning interest in film saw him make the short documentary Krumped, an award-winner at Sundance from which he developed RIZE, the feature film released worldwide in 2005 to huge critical acclaim. American Photo recently ranked him as one of the top ten “Most Important People in Photography.”

Heaven to Hell @ Amazon.com