KiS shows: David LaChapelle "Jesus is My Homeboy"

June 20, 2023. For the fifth exhibition at KiS – Art in Seefeld, initiator Rafael Jablonka chose a star of international photography. And he wins the Tiroler Folk Art Museum in Innsbruck as another exhibition venue for the works of David LaChapelle.

He is "the Fellini of photography," cheered the New York Times Magazine. And Helmut Newton, a photography artist in his own right, remarked: "He makes me laugh. I consider him very clever, very funny, and good." David LaChapelle is undoubtedly one of the great photographers of our time, although his works, especially the series "Jesus is My Homeboy" shown at KiS – Art in Seefeld, provoke various reactions.

In these oversized photographs created in 2003 for the British magazine i-D, LaChapelle depicts biblical scenes with people from the urban environment of the United States. Seductively sugary neon colors dominate the scenes, which take place on the streets of a big city, in a shabby kitchen, or a rundown living room. Jesus as "Homeboy," the buddy of his disciples, who gather around him with a blonde female figure, Mary Magdalene, dressed in neon jogging suits, basketball shirts, or bare-chested.

This is how David LaChapelle brings the story of Jesus into the here and now. As Prof. Dr. Friedhelm Mennekes SJ, art expert and advisor at the Pontifical Council for Culture, explains at the opening: "In fact, Jesus took his followers from the street. LaChapelle believes that it is exactly there, on the streets of the city, that we would meet Jesus today, if he were to come to us a second time." During the tour in the old fire station in Seefeld, one experiences scenes depicting the doubting Thomas, the washing and anointing of feet by Mary Magdalene, Jesus as a preacher, or during the miraculous feeding of the multitude.

Born in 1963, LaChapelle, who recently opened a studio in Miami alongside his New York one, studied at the North Carolina School of the Arts and soon met an important patron in New York. Andy Warhol paved the way for him to the legendary magazine "Interview", followed by other leading publications such as Paris Vogue, Vanity Fair, or Rolling Stone, which allowed LaChapelle to develop his unique style.

Rafael Jablonka, co-initiator of KiS – Art in Seefeld, managed to partner with the Tiroler Folk Art Museum Innsbruck for this exhibition. Under the title "Last Supper," the eponymous photo from the "Homeboy" series will be shown. Additionally, museum visitors can expect images from the series "Nature’s Naked Loveliness" and "Awakened," as well as the lavishly staged star portrait of Uma Thurman.

"This joint exhibition is a long-held wish, as it expands the radius of KiS and the contemporary art we showcase in Seefeld," said Jablonka. The cooperation between the art collector, who has chosen Seefeld as a home with his wife Teresa, and the municipality of Seefeld, which provides the unusual exhibition venue of the old fire station, is significantly supported by the Seefeld Tourist Office, which appreciates the significance of this cultural offering at the highest level. Last but not least, the KiS association, led by chairwoman Elisabeth Gürtler, actively helps to bring this initiative "to promote contemporary art in Seefeld" to prominence.

The small but exquisite art gallery in Seefeld can therefore be grateful to showcase LaChapelle's works, which are continuously exhibited in major museums and galleries around the world: National Portrait Gallery or V&A London, Musée d’Orsay, MUDEC Milan, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Groninger Museum, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Staley Wise Gallery, Pearl Lam Galleries Singapore, and many others.

David LaChapelle "Jesus is My Homeboy" at KiS – Art in Seefeld, old fire station, Münchnerstraße 271; June 23 – October 1, 2023; Fridays to Sundays, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM; Free admission; www.kunstinseefeld.at, office@kunstinseefeld.at

David LaChapelle "Last Supper" at the Tiroler Folk Art Museum, Universitätsstraße 2, Innsbruck; June 23 – October 29, 2023; Monday to Sunday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Information and ticket prices at: www.tiroler-landesmuseen.at, sekretariat@tiroler-landesmuseen.at

For inquiries: Helene Forcher and Sylvia Frenes-Lutz, 0664-1059355 and 0664-3940960, office@kunstinseefeld.at;