Iconic is an often overused word, but when someone manages to not only profoundly shape their art form, but also stay relevant 20 something years into their career, the term is more than justified. Opening today at the ICA, Juergen Teller: W00 is an expansive study of the Erlangen-born photographer’s work.

From his black and white images of Kurt Cobain during Nirvana’s tour in 1991 to the provocative nudes of Vivienne Westwood, every honest and intimate portrait by the German photographer, alongside his longstanding collaborations with brands such as Helmut Lang and Marc Jacobs, not only commemorates his longevity as both a commercial and art photographer but also shows that aside from his trademark overexposed photography technique, what really makes a Juergen Teller image is his connection to the individual.

During a preview of the exhibition yesterday, Teller spoke openly about his work process and decades’ worth of pressing the shutter button:

“With every picture you have to be really open and honest about it and tell people what you want to do. I have no idea what I am looking for in an image, it really varies. I have to have complete concentration on the subject, I never have music playing or people standing behind me talking, it drives me crazy. I need the full attention, of their attention to me as I have attention to them, and that’s why it’s powerful and direct in every picture. My way of working hasn’t really changed that much since the beginning, but I have become a lot more careful, project-based and tend to work in series. I am more confident and secure within myself.  I want to explore and see things, I’m curious about life. You only live once, you can’t just be miserable and complain all the time, you have to take risks to do something exciting and that’s what I try to do. You have to fucking go out there and do it.”

Juergen Teller: Woo exhibits at ICA until March 17.

ica.org.uk

Tags: Helmut Lang, ICA, Juergen Teller, Kurt Cobain, Marc Jacobs, Vivienne WEstwood, Woo

In the Nineties a three-piece band from Seattle unwittingly created a cultural shift that ensured grunge would be one of the most enduring phenomena of the decade. This September marks twenty years since the release of Nirvana’s seminal album Nevermind. To celebrate The Loading Bay Gallery are hosting and exhibition of the bands work. A hoody worn by Kurt Cobain, tour posters and other memorabilia, it’s all about Teen Spirit and a mark of the ongoing influence Nirvana has with their fans old and new.

Bloom: The Nirvana Nevermind Exhibition is at The Loading Bay Gallery, Brick Lane until 22 September 2011.

Tags: Bloom: The Nirvana Nevermind Exhibition, Brick Lane, Grunge, Kurt Cobain, Nevermind, Nineties, Nirvana, The Loading Bay

In the Nineties you needn’t have looked further than Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love to understand the spirit of the age. The couple embodied the grunge aesthetic that dominated a decade of cool in fashion and music. And in the Noughties no man influenced the look more than Dior Homme’s Hedi Slimane, whose inspiration came straight from the skinny young men he saw at gigs and on the street.

Since leaving the label in 2007 Slimane has brought his lean dark look to his photography and regularly uploads his encounters on his online diary. His latest entry, a series of portraits with 19-year-old Frances Bean – daughter of Kurt and Courtney – is a coming of age moment in recent pop cultural history. Having spent 19 years out of the lime-light, Frances’ is now a haunting beauty in her own right. Slimane’s images of her are all tattoos and ripped up jeans. It’s the portrait of an age moved on,  but that still has all the angst of its forebears.

hedislimane.com

Tags: Couretnay Love, Dior Homme, Frances Bean, Hedi Slimane, Hedi Slimane Diary, Kurt Cobain