Klein’s & Moriyama’s exhibition takes place in the Tate Modern and is housed over 7 rooms. Most of these are full of photographs in black and white some in enormous sizes all over the wall. The space is well organized which brings a variety of demonstrations of the work.
William Klein is an American photographer, painter film-maker, documentarian and graphic designer. His focus is on the urban-fashionable world including boxing and politics.
I especially liked the second room with Klein’s early photographic experiments were he started to set out a documentation about the city. These works confront you straight away and led you into the moment the size makes it even more present. It’s a combination of street and fashion photography while he bought his models elegantly dressed into chaotic urban scenarios. One of my favorites- as well one of his most famous- was taken in Rome were two well-dressed models in black and white striped dresses crossed over a zebra crossing, surrounded by passengers who had no idea about that it was staged. So comment Klein that “soon men began to think these girls were crazy hookers and they approached them and tried to feel their asses”.
Daido Moriyama
Moriyama was an assistant when he discovered Klein’s New York photo book which became an important impact on him.
Daido’s work is recording folk cultures and urban life. Andy Warhol made a great impact on him as he is fascinated with consumerism. His interest in reproduction made him use different sources of media. So did he use as silk screen which he combined by printing and painting such as Andy Warhol used to do.
The most interesting work was Polaroid where the artist recreated a mosaic-like grid of Polaroid’s. To be seen is his art studio. Each individual photo has his own distinctive moment even if it looks like it just taken shot by shot did it take him several days to complete the scene.
In my opinion is it a very interesting exhibition but also a lot to take in, maybe too much for just one day wherefore I will probably go back another time.
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