Birds is the first North American exhibition of Italian fashion photographer Paolo Roversi. Presented at Dallas Contemporary, the exhibition features over 40 of Roversi’s photographic works and will focus on his longstanding collaboration with the fashion brand Comme des Garçons and its founder Rei Kawakubo.
Titled Birds to highlight Roversi’s use of movement in photography, the exhibition examines how the Italian photographer has created a unique visual style in which models pose in abstract, mobile ways, often evoking birds landing or taking off. At Dallas Contemporary, visitors will encounter colored walls with groupings of photographs in varying sizes when entering the Museum’s galleries and will be able to explore Roversi’s work through one unifying theme in the exhibition- mobility- to foster new connections and interpretations around his oeuvre.
“My collaboration with Rei Kawakubo goes back a long time and each time working with her is a new inspiring adventure,” says Roversi in regard to the exhibition. “As Dallas Contemporary is bringing all arts- including fashion- closer, it seemed a good opportunity to show my work together with hers.” Birds will showcase known photographs by Roversi, as well as works that have never been seen before. On display will be photographs spanning the four-decade creative relationship Roversi and Kawakubo have developed and exploring how these two fashion trailblazers have exchanged ideas and creative philosophies throughout their impressive careers.
Birds is co-curated by Dallas Contemporary Executive Director Peter Doroshenko and Independent Curator Dennis Freedman, and was originally planned to open in March 2020. This exhibition Paolo is made possible thanks to the generous support of Comme des Garçons, with the support of Heidi + Bill Dillon and Sue Gragg Precious Jewels.
About Paolo Roversi
Paolo Roversi is an Italian photographer known for his striking, intimate portraiture and classical visual language. His photographs occupy a realm between the past and present, resulting in imagery that feels at once progressive and familiar. Roversi’s interest in photography began at an early age during a trip to Spain, prompting him to build a darkroom for printing his black and white photographs. He began his professional career in 1970 with photojournalism assignments, but soon shifted his focus to fashion.
After a period assisting Laurence Sackman, Roversi started shooting his own fashion editorials and advertising campaigns, the resulting catalogue of which over the years has made him one of the industry’s preeminent image-makers. In the early 1980s he added large-format Polaroid photography to his practice, a medium that continues to enhance his trademark style. Roversi is a widely-regarded fashion and portrait photographer and has documented all the most famous models and movie stars.
His photographs have been published internationally in magazines such as Vogue, W Magazine and Vanity Fair. He has collaborated with leading fashion and beauty houses, creating images for brands including Comme des Garçons, Dior, Guerlain, Armani, Chanel and Lancôme. During his 40-year career as a photographer, Roversi has published several books, including Angeli, Libretto, Nudi, Studio and Secrets, and his work has been exhibited at galleries and museums around the world.
Paolo Roversi: Birds
January 30 – August 22, 2021
Dallas Contemporary
161 Glass St
Dallas, TX 75207
Birds is accompanied by an 85-page monograph.
