Fashion and editorial photographer Vincent Ferrané has photographed the likes of Sky Ferreira and Shia LeBeouf, but in his latest book he takes a look at the sacred spaces of seventeen female artists: the studio. With a design-conscious eye, Ferrané turns these places of alchemy into artworks in their own right—capturing portraits not just of the artists themselves but of their movement within their space. The chaos of paint splatters and bundled canvases is rendered almost abstract as Ferrané points his lens to the overlooked corners of the workspaces. As a result the mess becomes more deliberate, more sculptural and decidedly stylish.
This project comes after a series by Ferrané called Milky Way, a look at a very different but similarly intimate relationship: the one between a mother and her child—Ferrané’s wife and their baby—framed through moments of breastfeeding. Once again, the photographer uses the camera to become an “active spectator”—engaged but at a distance. And, whilst the images in Visitor certainly reflect his fashion photography style—with an intense flash and muted palette—they are also candid and animated, images of women too intent on their practice to acknowledge the man standing in their studio.
The book spotlights the Parisian scene of emerging artists, women with wide-ranging practices: the sculptor Mimosa Echard scatters plums on the floor whilst Maude Maris sits studiously, nose to painting—and this brief encounter with their energy leaves you wanting to know more.
