©David LaChapelle, courtesy of Fotografiska New York

Written by Audrey Yin
Copy Edited by Janeen Mathisen
Photo Edited by Yanting Chen

In 2006, David LaChapelle abandoned his life in Los Angeles for a remote region of Hawaii. Renowned for his glossy, vibrant photographs of celebrities and pop culture icons, LaChapelle’s move not only signaled a distinct shift in his subject matter but a change in his artistic pursuit. “This last decade of work has really become a culmination of a new world paradise,” he shared in an interview with Vice Magazine, “which was inspired by living in a place that’s really pristine, this rainforest I live in. It’s a background for [exploring] the relationship between man and nature.” Although LaChapelle leans into the surreal and fantastical—with images of gas stations in lush forests and religious figures with neon skin—his images reveal a deeply personal tension with the various ecosystems he has occupied. They are ridden with superficiality and individualism. We are presented with his catharsis—an expression of life and death—in the new exhibition Make Believe. The collection was presented on September 9th, 2022 at the Fotografiska in New York City.

LaChapelle’s spiritual journey has been one of his greatest influences since the beginning of his career. In an interview with GUP Magazine, he discussed his experiences with death as a gay man during the AIDS epidemic: “…A lot of friends were dying of AIDS and I thought I was going to die too, so I wanted to get something done while I was here. It made me wonder about this idea of the soul or the spirit and how to depict that. I was wondering what happens to someone when they die. Where does that energy go?” For the artist, this existential question takes form in the shape of flashy textures, gleaming forms, and bold colors: an interpretation of energy that focuses on cultivating a paradise and a sense of lightness. LaChapelle’s belief in using beauty as a tool to move his viewers is why the afterlife is represented positively.

This idea of enlightenment strays far away from LaChapelle’s famed celebrity portraits. His portfolio, which includes superstars such as Britney Spears, Naomi Campbell, Kanye West, and Lady Gaga seems as though it belongs to a person concerned with monetary value and arbitrary notions of success. However, LaChapelle’s sincerity has never escaped him even when capturing Hollywood. Rather than feeding into a cycle of materialism, he presents himself with curiosity and criticality. His photographs provide an analysis of the people and events that seem to dictate our social consciousness and simultaneously humanizes those we have collectively turned into personas. Although he never shies away from being bold and having fun, the narratives and subjects he directs are always symbolic of something deeper, intimate, and vulnerable. He is a master at pulling emotions from his audience.