Ellen von Unwerth: This Side of Paradise fashion photography exhibit opens at SCAD

The SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film in Atlanta recently opened the exhibit, Ellen von Unwerth: This Side of Paradise which features more than 50 photographs and fashion films from the celebrated photographer’s vast editorial and artistic repertoire. Fashion and cultural icons such as Beyoncé, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Janet Jackson, RuPaul, Britney Spears, Naomi Campbell, Zoë Kravitz, have all been caught in von Unwerth’s lens. She created much-acclaimed campaigns for Guess, Agent Provocateur, Jimmy Choo, Absolut, Chanel, Tommy Hilfiger, MAC Cosmetics, among others, and her work has appeared in Vogue, Elle, Glamour, i-D, Interview, Numéro, Paper Magazine, Playboy, and GQ. “I am so proud and thankful to SCAD FASH for dedicating this show to me. This Side of Paradise is the place to be!” said von Unwerth in a statement. “The show reflects my vision of a society with no boundaries, of celebration, intimacy, love, friendship, fun, and glitter – even a little devil is allowed in.”

From Lacoste, France, where he is curating another exhibit, SCAD FASH Creative Director Rafael Gomes, who curated This Side of Paradise, spoke to FashionUnited about the importance of the photographer’s work and how she has been continually capturing the zeitgeist since 1989.

How did the exhibition come into being at SCAD?

An Ellen von Unwerth exhibition is something SCAD FASH had an eye on for some time. With a forty-year-long career, she’s become such a legendary fashion photographer, so her inclusion in our space was inevitable. . 

How were the images selected from the photographer's huge body of work while also considering the exhibit space?

Ellen’s body of work is immense, but for This Side of Paradise we wanted to prioritize a celebratory narrative. Similar to the post-WWI vibrancy of the 1920s, this exhibition captures the same zeitgeist 100 years later. After years of COVID and general unrest, the curation of stellar Ellen von Unwerth images presented in This Side of Paradise is an opportunity to remind people about the excitement and vibrancy of life. The images and short films were selected based on their ability to support that narrative while showing the variety of her work. There’s an array of album covers, editorial images, and campaigns, starring models, actresses, singers, and drag queens. To take this experience further, we have multiple short films playing throughout the exhibition to bring the ethos of Ellen’s work to life.

In her traffic-stopping Guess campaigns von Unwerth's photography reflected a 50s pin-up glamor, other campaigns recalled the starlets of the silver screen, but how do you think von Unwerth’s work speaks to feminism and gender today?

Ellen’s work is about female empowerment – and that boldness truly emulates in all her images. Before becoming a photographer, Ellen started as a model. That experience shaped her work today. After feeling a lack of autonomy as a model, Ellen purposely creates an environment on set that supports her models’ freedom. By doing so, she’s capturing emboldened women creating an image on their own terms, whether that image is achieved through cheeky sensuality or the theatrical storytelling of her pictures. Her models become strong heroines in her work.

Even as we move away from traditional stereotypes, there is still a very apparent humor in her work playing off them. Her female subjects are having fun and embracing their sexuality as opposed to doing it for someone else’s consumption. Her body of work has also always involved members of the LGBTQ+ community and isn’t limited to heightened exaggerations of traditional binary forms of gender.

Can you discuss von Unwerth's relevance particularly for young people such as students at SCAD?

She’s such a big name in the industry–it’s hard to fade away when you’ve been part of the scene for over 40 years. Her pictures have been featured in every major magazine and countless advertisements, like her now iconic 1989 Guess campaign. You see this continued relevancy with her guest spot in shows like Emily in Paris. Or her lengthy and ongoing work in the music industry, creating covers for over a hundred album covers. There isn't a sign of her slowing down. It’s certainly our mission to present dynamic exhibitions that are thought-provoking and truly representative of our artist’s important bodies of work. At SCAD FASH, we not only strive to display exclusive exhibitions that are inspiring and culturally relevant– but also educational for our students and visitors, as we are an extension of the university, the global leader in higher education for arts and design. SCAD FASH is at the intersection of study, exhibition and discourse, with our exhibitions focused precisely on fashion and film.

Ellen von Unwerth: This Side of Paradise is on view at SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film in Atlanta through January 8, 2024.