Role Play, the new exhibit for internationally published and acclaimed fashion photographer Steven Meisel, couldn’t be more aligned with the cross-pollination of arts evolving in Miami Design District. Where LOEWE opened its first U.S. location in the neighborhood earlier this year, creative director Jonathan Anderson sought to explore the positive tension between ideas of heritage and forward-movement. Meisel’s photographs were among the key references that inspired his reconfiguration of the Spanish luxury brand, and uniquely reflect a cultural movement that is alive and at play at LOEWE and in the District at this very moment.
From his early days as an illustrator for Women’s Wear Daily, and his work with Vanity Fair Interview, W Magazine, and Vogue Italia, Meisel has captured the zeitgeist in a bold and pioneering style. His encyclopedic understanding of fashion and visual art foster a continuous dialogue in his photographs that are rich with historic reference and the present time. A 1990s portrait for American Vogue of Kristen McMenamy and Daniel Blaylock, for one, introduced the grunge aesthetic as a pivotal point in fashion, and in so doing, created an access point for acceptance and alternative style.
Just as celebrated for glamorizing the everyday, Meisel’s more playful takes leisurely activities such as on shopping with friends or sharing a cigarette are also layered with stories. His images appear to evolve beyond the magazine page into full-blown scenes. A photograph could easily pass for a frame in a film, possessing a narrative quality that suggests there are many more images to follow.
The selling exhibition Role Play is presented by Phillips auction house, LOEWE and MDD, and is an important show for a young city that is a story in development of its own. Dacra CEO & President Craig Robins sees being chosen as one of four international locations for the exhibit as proof that Miami “has become one of the world’s cultural capitals.”
Role Play is on view in Paris, London, New York, and Miami Design District, where it opens to the public from May 28 to June 10 at The Moore Elastika (191 NE 40th Street).
