Starting on April 5, CAMERA WORK Gallery presents the group exhibition Naomi containing 30 photographic works by twelve renowned photo artists. The curated selection includes iconic portraits, nudes, and fashion photographs. It not only pays tribute to Naomi Campbell‘s extraordinary career, but also documents the complexity of her work, her versatility, and her influence on fashion photography and pop culture.
The exhibition brings together works from four decades (1986—2017) by photographers who have staged Naomi Campbell in different ways. While Herb Ritts and Patrick Demarchelier reveal her timeless elegance in stylized portraits, Ellen von Unwerth celebrates Campbell’s energy and sensuality in dynamic, often playful works. Arthur Elgort’s spontaneous, reportage-like En Plein Air photographs express Campbell’s natural lightness, while Russell James and Vincent Peters show her in intimate nudes. Chris Levine’s fascinating, three-dimensional work from 2017 occupies a special place in the exhibition and captures the supermodel’s iconic charisma in a new artistic dimension. Albert Watson’s works, on the other hand, show Campbell in natural surroundings and lighting, impressively highlighting her unmistakable presence. Naomi Campbell thus reveals further facets with each collaboration, effortlessly embodying different styles and changing her effect depending on the staging. This diversity makes her one of the most fascinating personalities in the fashion world.
Naomi Campbell, one of the leading figures of her profession, has made her mark on catwalks, magazine covers, and adverVsing campaigns with her unmistakable presence. While there were already a number of successful black models in the 1970s — including Bethann Hardison, Beverly Johnson, and Iman — from the late 1980s onwards, Campbell succeeded in continually sensitizing and opening up the industry to diversity and played a key role in shaping the era of supermodels. For decades, Campbell has been an advocate for equal rights, committed to greater inclusion in the fashion industry and is considered one of the pioneers for black models. Her personal experiences have heightened her awareness of the challenges in the fashion world and helped shape her commitment to sustainable change for future generations.
Naomi
April 5 – May 31, 2025
CAMERA WORK Gallery
Kantstrasse 149
10623 Berlin · Germany
www.camerawork.de
