Damiani Books publishes Expression of Freedom: Through the World of Dance, by British born photographer Matthew Brookes, (based between Paris and NY), brings together a decade of photographic work exploring dance across four continents, from institutions such as the Paris Opera Ballet and the Royal Ballet to street and informal dance practices in New York, Brazil, and South Africa. The book includes an introduction by Sir Ben Okri.
What feels especially relevant is the way the project destabilizes hierarchies between codified and vernacular movement. Brookes approaches ballet dancers, contemporary performers, and street dancers through a consistent visual language, often situating them within urban or everyday environments rather than traditional stages. The result is a body of work that frames dance less as spectacle and more as a lived, social, and spatial practice.
The images open up questions around visibility, authorship, and the body as a site of expression across different cultural contexts — themes that could lend themselves to a critical or image-led feature.
The English born photographer Matthew Brookes, raised in South Africa and then spent many years in Paris where he discovered his passion for photography. His images have been featured in several publications like Vanity Fair, Vogue, L’uomo Vogue, The New York Times’ T Magazine, Interview and British and Spanish Vogue. He also works closely with a variety of luxury brands Giorgio Armani, Hugo Boss,
Cartier, Ralph Lauren, Zegna, among others. He divides his time between Paris and New York.
Matthew Brookes : Expression of Freedom: Through the World of Dance
Damiani Books
Introduction by Sir Ben Okri
28 x 37 cm / 11 x 14 ½ inches
204 pages, 170 color
softcover
ISBN 978-88-6208-824-4
$55 I €50 I E45
https://www.damianibooks.com/en
