“Why is it that a naked body is frowned upon but a decapitated body of a woman is accepted?”
David LaChapelle
We see the sculptural figure of an African queen. The silk travels sinuously across her body while a gold dzilla is wrapped around her neck. At first, it appears to be a reimagining of Tiziano’s “Venus of Urbino,” but then we notice this imposing yet unperturbed woman is supermodel Naomi Campbell, and the work she’s featured in is David LaChappelle’s “The Rape of Africa”.
Jewels and gold coins are spread across the picture, representing the pillage of the resource-wealthy continent. The children holding bazookas evoke the tragic destiny of child soldiers. In the distance we are able to perceive the destruction of nature in favor of industry, as well as the Western world’s diamond greed. If, for a moment, we look beyond the bright colors and the models’ beautiful figures, we’ll notice how LaChapelle has woven several narratives into a meaningful photographic tapestry. As spectators we’re attracted by the glamour and light, while also saddened by the realities presented.
David LaChapelle is a chameleon of the art world. He has captured hundreds of celebrities and shifted gears from the high echelons of couture to the world of contemporary art. Calling himself a foreign photographer, he’s been able to move between the frameworks of society. Perhaps it’s this perspective that allows him to speak and present in his shiny hyperrealist aesthetic the darkness that plagues modern humanity.
In an exclusive interview with Cultura Colectiva, David LaChapelle shares us his vision behind the dark emptiness of society, as well as how art and photography offer a glimmer of hope.
CC: Do you believe this savagery and dark age we are living through can be absolved through the arts?
DLC: This form of entertainment is brutal. We may progress with technology, but we have not moved forward spiritually. For instance, let’s look at The Hunger Games, we accept children killing children as a form of entertainment and we excuse the violence by saying it is set in a dystopian society. I’m sorry, but no, it is our society that is carrying out this violence and is disseminating it.
I don’t believe in the distinctions made in culture. For me, pop culture and high culture encompass the same because it is what people look at. What disturbs me are the choices we are making in all areas. There is so much darkness now; we see torture, violence, and cruelty on a daily basis. With CGI we can vividly create death scenes and we have seen the rise of new genres; for instance since the Saw series we now see Torture Porn, where you can watch people tear at each other. How is it that we have come to accept this as a form of entertainment and how are we any different from the Romans? We have so far thanks to technology, but we have not progressed morally nor spiritually.
Now, we can watch people being tortured on any screen we have at our disposal, even allowing children in on this supposed fun. We are entering into a new kind of dark age where the naked body is seen as pornographic or only exists for sexual gratification. Why is it that a naked body is frowned upon but a decapitated body of a woman is accepted? God forbid you see a naked man or woman, but don’t mind if it is a dismembered body.
Proof that the celestial and godly exists lies in the beauty of man and nature.
I do the best I can, but I cannot put on that mantle. I can only obtain a glimmer of the impact my work has on people. For example in Argentina over 46,000 people attended the opinion night in the museum. To think art has no power is futile, of course it does. Art has influence and power; it may be that these films and forms of entertainment are more influential, but they are so because they get disseminated far more. At this level I believe it will get darker and darker and this image needs to change. When will all of this madness end? Where is this heading and where is the progress? This book is a reply to this, and in face of this darkness, all I can do is follow my calling and do the best I can. What moves me hopefully can touch others as well.
CC: What role do artists like yourself play in bringing some light into this social dark age?
DLC: We live in an insane and confused time, and as an artist you don’t have a choice but to confront it. I am not here to shock people, because that form of entertainment is a symptom of a sickly society, so the artist must bring about change. You cannot shock people anymore and that is another symptom that needs to be addressed. The change will not come from politicians or newscasters; it will come from the poets, artists, writers, and musicians.
This is why the arts are so important. They are a mirror to society, and they reflect light back to humanity.
