philip-lorca dicorcia's 'heavenly bodies' for vogue digitally debut on DAVID ZWIRNER

DAVID ZWIRNER presents on online-only exhibition featuring photographs by philip-lorca dicorcia created for ​vogue​ on the occasion of ​the costume institute’s spring 2018 show at the met, heavenly bodies: fashion and the catholic imagination. dicorcia stages models donned in ornate garments within austere yet elegant settings, weaving together rich displays of visual elegance with subtle references to the history of art and wider social realities. spotlighting the garments’ elaborate beauty, the environments contrast the papal-style vestments and porcelain-white gowns against checkered marble floors and vacant, stage-like scenes. 

philip-lorca dicorcia, vogue, may 2018, #4, 2018
image © philip-lorca dicorcia, courtesy the artist and david zwirner

the resulting photographs that form part of philip-lorca dicorcia: heavenly bodies balance glamour and grit, imagination and irony. a neo-gothic tension pervades the scenes, where unmet gazes and reflections in mirrors refer to deeper power dynamics at play. notably, the female models are adorned in the patriarchal regalia and iconography of the catholic church, both paying homage to the history and visual culture of the religion, while also challenging its traditions.

philip-lorca dicorcia, vogue, may 2018, #3, 2018
image © philip-lorca dicorcia, courtesy the artist and david zwirner

in addition to this online-only show, DAVID ZWIRNER has also reopened its paris gallery on may 23 with an exhibition of photographs by dicorcia. the exhibition features images from a series of eleven editorial projects created for ​W ​magazine between 1997 and 2008, including several photographs that have never before been on view.

philip-lorca dicorcia, vogue, may 2018, #6, 2018
image © philip-lorca dicorcia, courtesy the artist and david zwirner

see an interview between philip-lorca dicorcia and greg lulay about these photographs, and go behind the scenes the heavenly bodies shoot in the video below.

edited by nina azzarello

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