Photography Exhibition Exhibition IDEAT for a good cause

For the past four years, IDEAT has given a carte blanche to a great photographer to produce an exclusive series for the magazine. Erwin Olaf, Formento + Formento, Bettina Rheims and Anja Niemi accepted this invitation. During the week of Paris Photo, IDEAT sells some of these unique and exclusive prints on Diasec for the benefit of a charity. 

Erwin Olaf, Bettina Rheims, Formento + Formento, Anja Niemi, these great artists have made us the honor of their collaboration to produce a new series that is both a reflection of their universe and ours.

Erwin invented a “chabrolesque” family story, which we had shot in the disused psychiatric hospital in which Camille Claudel had been interned; Bettina recreated the dangerous games of two lonely sisters in the castle that had been used as a set for the shooting of Marie Antoinette by Sofia Coppola; Richelle and BJ Formento had fantasized a surrealist party in the Villa Cavrois of Mallet-Stevens, where were invoked the doubles of Duchamp and Dalí; Anja Niemi had taken on the roles of a whole circus troupe, from the snake charmer to the lion trainer to the clown …

With each production, we gathered around these photographers a team of make-up artists, hairdressers, stylists, dressers, technicians who all put themselves at the service of the imagination, the fantasy and the desires of the artists. It was always a great recreation, where we could share great happiness, great stress too, improvisation sometimes, and a lot of work!

At the end of each magazine, we organized at MAD (Museum of Decorative Arts) a one-night exhibition of prints published. Today, we decided to sell some of it for a charity, cc-for education. It is, again, a story of friendship with its founders, Nelcya and Fabrizio Cantoni, the creators of the brand cc-carpet. Handcrafting their pieces in Nepal, they founded this association to support the schooling of children in the region. It reflects their commitment to these people with whom they work hand in hand. By associating with their concerns, we hope to both support them, please collectors … and fans of IDEAT!

By Laurent Blanc