Edward Enninful’s Ode to Mapplethorpe

It was Robert Mapplethorpe’s “Black Book” series, a daring study of Black men published in 1986, that drew Edward Enninful to his photographs for the first time. The playful dance between light and darkness Mapplethorpe achieves in his work made a deep impression on the Ghanaian-born British fashion editor. Thirty-five years after the photographer’s untimely death, a celebration of his legacy shows his work is still as impactful as ever. Starting March 2, 46 prints from the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation’s vast archive curated by Enninful will be on display at Thaddaeus Ropac in Paris. “I am used to images fighting or working together, tension and opposites, or harmony. Things that people don’t expect to go together, finding a sense of serenity within the chaotic,” Enninful explained in a press release.  

A talented trailblazer, Enninful, who recently stepped down as editor-in-chief of British Vogue to assume the position of global creative and cultural advisor of the magazine, is known for challenging beauty standards and fighting for inclusivity in the fashion industry. He found a kindred spirit in Mapplethorpe’s technique of capturing unconventional beauty and dynamic queer desire. Mapplethorpe's photographs depict the raw and unfiltered New York underground scene of the late 1960s and early ‘70s and often feature a search for perfection in form. His images of celebrities, artists, and cultural figures are deemed iconic. The exhibition gathers portraits, nudes, still lifes, and fashion photography in a selection of contrasting yet harmonious pairs of works. “For me, everything has to be about storytelling. And that’s why the pairings in this exhibition are so interesting to me—it’s like the passage of time and life, where nothing is black and white,” Enninful elaborated. In the selected 23 sets of photographs, there is a constant juxtaposition between dark and light backgrounds, contrasts of skin tones, and clothed and nude. This multilayered arrangement serves as a reminder of how opposing forces are, in fact, powerfully intertwined and even reliant on one another. 

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A black-and-white shot of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s imposing physique is intriguingly mirrored in another photo showcasing a woman wearing an outfit characterized by its exaggerated puffed sleeves. A vibrant visual dialogue erupts between two photographs of Lisa Lyon, Mapplethorpe’s muse. She gracefully wears a wedding dress and holds a bouquet in one image, while in the other, she is nude and flexing her biceps with her face covered in white transparent fabric. This contrast highlights an intense and wide array of nuances a woman can embody. A pairing of two self-portraits conveys the duality of Mapplethorpe’s identity. In one, he wears a leather jacket and smokes a cigarette. The other shows a bare chested Mapplethorpe with his eyes and lips carefully defined by a splash of makeup. Enninful's picks from Mapplethorpe's captivating body of work weave together a powerful narrative that sheds light on the ever-evolving construction of identity and challenges ingrained beauty and gender stereotypes. 

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‍“Robert Mapplethorpe” is on view from March 2 to April 6, 2024 at Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery at 7 Rue Debelleyme, 75003 Paris, France.