High-Gloss

The Fahey/Klein Gallery is pleased to present “Miles Aldridge: High-Gloss”, an exhibition of photographs and screenprints by renowned artist, Miles Aldridge. This exhibition features a selection of familiar and newly release images that, in pure Aldridge fashion, are glamorous – yet probe society’s idealized notions of domestic bliss, where sinister undercurrents swirl beneath a flawless surface.

Miles Aldridge is a photographer who is well known for staging elaborate mise-en-scènes that have a film noir quality. The technicolor dream-like worlds he constructs are vibrant, fragmented narratives that defy expectations. Long interested in art history, his highly stylized work draws inspiration from representations of the female nude in art, as well as in pulp fiction and pin-ups. As Aldridge states:

“In my work there is always a push and pull between high and low art.”

Aldridge is a contemporary artist with a unique talent for inspiring the viewers to ask themselves questions. With a keen eye for social absurdities, disguising them in colorful beauty, and then elevating them to thought-provoking art Aldridge highlights a deep truth in his hyper-realities.

Miles Aldridge has worked prolifically for more than twenty-five years, and today he remains one of the few photographers still shooting predominately on film. Born in London in 1964, the son of famed art director and illustrator, Alan Aldridge, Miles’ interest in photography began at an early age when he was given a Nikon F camera by his father. After studying graphic design at Central Saint Martins, Aldridge initially worked as an illustrator and music-video director, before turning his attention to photography. In 1996 he began working with Franca Sozzani, the legendary editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia, and their boundary-pushing collaboration would continue for twenty years. In addition to the many international editions of Vogue, Aldridge’s images have featured regularly in prestigious titles, including Harper’s Bazaar, Numéro, W, The New York Times Magazine, and The New Yorker. His fascination with art history led Aldridge to undertake projects with several significant contemporary artists including Maurizio Cattelan, Gilbert & George, and Harland Miller. London’s National Portrait Gallery houses a large collection of Aldridge’s portraits, and his work is held in prestigious museums and institutions around the world, including: the V&A, and British Museum in London; the Fondation Carmignac, and the Palais Galliera in Paris; the Davis Museum at Wellesley College, Massachusetts; and the International Centre of Photography in New York.