ICP Photographers Lecture Series: Raphael Dallaporta

Documentary photographer Raphaël Dallaporta, born in France in 1980, has garnered international acclaim for his thoughtful and engaging projects. He is concerned with public issues addressing human rights as well as more intimate and personal subjects such as the fragility of life.

In Dallaporta's Antipersonnel series, colorful and diversely shaped land mines are seductively captured against a black background. The initial impression of these objects, which seem almost glamorous, belies their deadly function and is quickly dispelled as one reads the framed captions. Like entries in a manual, the practical features of each object are listed: dimension, weight, country of manufacture, method of detonation, and description of the resulting explosion. Dallaporta’s Domestic Slavery project similarly draws on the relationship between text and image: Mundane views of Paris homes are juxtaposed with descriptions of violent acts against enslaved immigrants that have transpired in each location. For his most recent work, Autopsy, Dallaporta set up his studio in a forensic pathology lab in France. As autopsies were performed, he was presented with body parts to photograph, which—as in Antipersonnel—he presents in life size. Their textures, shapes, and vibrant colors captivate the viewer. The accompanying text, however, reminds us of the inescapable certainty of mortality, citing the clinical cause of death, as well as a more personal account of the context in which it occurred.

“Raphaël Dallaporta’s landmines are things of great beauty: small, perfectly designed for the job they are meant to perform, fine colors and shapes. Elegantly photographed, simply framed, starkly displayed, they are at first sight remarkable for their aesthetic value. View five and wonder at the art, view two more and shivers start to go down your spine as the realization sinks in that they have one purpose: sheer cruelty.” - Ellen Wallace

Raphael Dallaporta is the winner of the 2010 Young Photographer ICP Infinity Award. He is represented by L. Parker Stephenson in New York. His editorial clients include The New York Times Magazine, Vogue Italia, Esquire, 8, Foam, Wallpaper, Colors, International, Telerama, Liberation, le Monde, Stiletto, Beaux-Art Magazine, Tank, Blast, Extra Small, Wad, Ojo di Pez, and CitizenK International. Solo exhibitions include “Autopsy” curated by Kathy Ryan at the New York Photo Festival and “Antipersonnel” curated by Martin Parr at Les Recontres D’Arles, among many others throughout Europe and in New York. His work is in the Maison Europeenne de la Photographie collection, as well as the Fond National d’Art Contemporain collection.