I am very excited to be heading back to Berlin shortly for the European launch of my fine art photography exhibition 'Angels' at my home gallery CAMERA WORK. Featuring some of the most stunning beauties of our time, 'Angels' will be showing at CAMERA WORK for six weeks from April 26th – June 6th, 2015. Co-hosting the launch event with me will be the divine Sara Sampaio (below), who is a significant subject in both the Angels book and fine-art collection.
I'll also be signing copies of my 304-page 'Angels' book, published in collaboration with renowned publisher teNeues, on April 25th at CAMERA WORK, so come and say hi if you are in the area!
'Angels' is my fifth fine-art book to date, and showcases a range of iconic supermodels, pop-culture idols and celebrities I’ve met during my career, including Rihanna, Gisele Bündchen and Karlie Kloss. As I mention in the introduction to the book, whilst shooting a nude photograph is technically easy, accepting the trust of a woman to be at her most vulnerable, and delivering a tasteful photograph in return that she herself can admire, is extremely difficult. As a result, I feel so privileged that all of the women I photographed for 'Angels' gave me their trust to reveal some of their natural beauty to the world.
From my perspective, 'Angels' is a celebration of female beauty in all its forms – ranging from the playfully feminine, soft and sensual at one end, to the confident and purely provocative at the other.
I am also extremely honored that CAMERA WORK is dedicating part of their gallery preview my 'Seminole Spirit' fine art collection. 'Seminole Spirit' is a unique artistic collaboration between myself, The Seminole Tribe of Florida and supermodel Behati Prinsloo, that recently premiered in New York and Aspen.
Working on 'Seminole Spirit' has also been a rare privilege. Over two years, I was granted special access to Seminole Lands, cultural sites and traditions, and introduced to a diverse cross-section of Tribal Members. I filmed, photographed and had extended conversations with Tribal Members in their reservations at Brighton, Big Cyprus and other Seminole Lands. I was very fortunate that Behati Prinsloo accepted my invitation join the collaboration too – she is a living metaphor for the strength, vision, beauty and cultural relevance I witnessed working on the project. After a revelatory interview with Chief Billie the artistic concept ‘Seminole Spirit’ was officially born.
'Seminole Spirit' is not intended to be a historical account. ‘She’ is a visual expression of what I feel when I am in Seminole Country. I believe that The Seminole Tribe of Florida are the most progressive and determined group of people I have ever met; their history of struggle, reinvention and adaptation is one of the greatest untold stories I have encountered. Their story deserves to be a source of global inspiration, and I love seeing both modern and ancient traditions being celebrated and living harmoniously side by side.
Russell James
ANGELS Exhibition & SEMINOLE SPIRIT Preview Exhibition
April 25 to June 6, 2015
CAMERA WORK
Kantstrasse 149 10623 Berlin Germany