Carolina Herrera on Chun Wai Chan (Photo by Pari Dukovic)
Miami Beach’s VISU Contemporary Gallery is featuring 25 photographs by photographer Paul Dukovic, being display in a gallery space for the first time.
“Pari Dukovic: En Pointe - Dance & Fashion,” on view through Saturday, Nov. 16, the artworks include a decade of nearly 30 high-fashion designers’ costumes created for the New York City Ballet (NYCB)’s annual Fall Fashion Gala, which was conceived by Sarah Jessica Parker in 2012.
Valentino on Chun Wai Chan and Mimi Staker. (Photo copyright Pair Dukovic)
The opening is from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17 with Dukovic there for the meet and greet. Dukovic shot the couture designs on 11 of the ballet’s renowned dancers for the Rizzoli book, “New York City Ballet: Choreography & Couture,” authored by NYCB Director of Costumes Marc Happel and released last year. The exhibition will also feature an exclusive, never-before-seen outtake from the book.
The images capture the ethereal beauty and strength of the dancers juxtaposed with the handmade detail and sophistication of the haute couture. Striking color and arrested movement portraits will create a visually immersive experience in the space, according to VISU Contemporary co-owner Bruce Halpryn, whose gallery will be the first to exhibit the photo collection and will be for sale through the gallery.
Jovani Furlan and India Bradley in Rosie Assoulin (Photo copyright Pari Dukovic)
Highlights of “Pari Dukovic: En Pointe - Dance & Fashion” include NYCB stars wearing Thom Browne's distinctively tailored suits; Iris van Herpen’s articulated reflective carapaces, Sarah Burton’s lavish ombré and embellished designs for Alexander McQueen, and the late Virgil Abloh’s rigorously ruched tulle. Other notable designers whose costumes appear in the exhibition include Prabal Gurung, Carolina Herrera, Narciso Rodriguez, Valentino, Gareth Pugh and Zac Posen.
Gareth Pugh on Mimi Staker (Photo copyright Pari Dukovic)
“Taking these images off the page and onto the gallery walls allows me to see them with a fresh vision on a grander scale, where the artistry they capture becomes larger than life,” says Dukovic.
For Halpryn, the chance to show Dukovic’s fine art photography “of some of the world’s most gorgeous dancers wearing the glamorous handmade designs of some of the most noted high-fashion designers” is a proud moment for the gallery.
The photographer says that his inspirations range from the 19th-century English photographer Eadweard Muybridge and early 20th-century American photographer Edward Jean Steichen, a pioneer in fashion photography. There are artists, too, such as French painter Henri Matisse and Italian painter and sculptor Umberto Boccioni.
Virgil Abloh on Christopher Grant (Photo by Pari Dukovic)
“I want each shot to seem like a portrait of the dancer in movement, expressed through their instrument. I sought to honor the years of discipline and hours of practice that become, in a split second, a dancer’s artful athleticism.”
The same applies to the fashion designers’ creative genius poured into every design and the craftsmanship the NYCB Costume Shop artisans who brought the designs to life."
Dukovic’s other recent book projects include photographing the cover of former President Barack Obama’s memoir, a project with NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson, and “New York City Ballet: Choreography and Couture.”
His work is in the collection of the Smithsonian Museum and he was The New Yorker’s staff photographer from 2012 to 2018 and photographed all six covers of Time Magazine’s special Time 100 issue.
WHAT: “Pari Dukovic: En Pointe - Dance & Fashion”
WHERE: VISU Contemporary, 2160 Park Ave., Miami Beach.
HOURS: Wednesday through Sunday, from noon to 5:30 p.m., by appointment. Through Nov. 16.
INFORMATION: (305) 496-5180 or visugallery.com
