Free To Express

Saint Laurent’s art project Self conveys freedom without censorship through the eyes of artists handpicked by creative director Anthony Vaccarello.

- John Ng

It is no secret that Saint Laurent has a storied history of dialogue with the art world. Last year, the fashion powerhouse announced a project entitled Self, where Vaccarello selects tastemakers to capture the various aspects of the maison’s attitude while displaying an artistic commentary on society.

Japanese street photographer Daido Moriyama – revered for his radical black-and-white images of the underground scenes in Japan – kicked off the series of collaborations with Self 01, an exhibition in Paris at Palais Royal during the French capital’s esteemed photography fair Paris Photo 2018, featuring poignant snapshots of lilies and reflective moments of fast-paced nightlife.

The second part of the collaboration, Self 02, exhibited a large-scale portrait collection shot by Italian contemporary performance artist Vanessa Beecroft against the backdrop of the Saint Laurent SS ‘19 show in Paris where models donned the season’s collection and had their back facing the Eiffel Tower. The project was presented in Miami at Design District during Art Basel 2018, while the photo wall curated by Vaccarello was showcased at Museum Garage and Paradise Plaza.