Creator of some of the most iconic images in fashion and pop culture history, we meet Mario Testino at HEAT, his debut exhibition in the Middle East.
By Natalie Trevis
Mario Testino photographed by Julia Chernih at The Factory
“It’s very hard to stay at the top,” muses Mario Testino OBE as he introduces his latest exhibition HEAT, curated by Simon and Michaela de Pury, at a custom built gallery space in the Dubai Design District. Yet a single glance at the striking images of some of the most famous and recognisable faces in the world – caught in time at their most captivating – suggests that Testino has no cause for concern. Over a career that spans 35 years, the Peruvian-born lensman has become a household name, his work gracing magazine covers, billboards and albums and his subjects including beauties from Kate Moss to Diana, Princess of Wales. “Kate is curious, she’s hungry, she wants to live,” he says of the eternal style icon. Intuitive and character-exposing, his work has an emotional quality that comes from making a genuine connection with his models. Testino’s philosophy is that the image “belongs” to the person within it. “Find a certain moment that is magical,” he says, “it usually comes from an emotion.”
Laetitia Casta photographed by Mario Testino ©
“Madonna was the first person to put me in the limelight of the world,” Testino recalls, describing how shooting Madonna for a Versace campaign in 1995 tagged with the headline “Versace presents Madonna photographed by Testino” was the true start of his ascent into the fashion photography (surname only) hall of fame, and a creative relationship with Madonna that subsequently led to such gems as the Ray of Light cover. “I’m constantly torn between what is cutting edge, new, modern and what is traditional,” he says. And yet his desire for the perfect image is never locked in the past. He cites Cara (“I’ve always thought that Cara was a little bit of a rebel”), Gigi and Kendall as the personalities of the moment that he would most like to photograph in Dubai. “I would love to see what they see and what they notice.” For a glimpse through Testino’s eyes, HEAT is more than a collection of images, it’s a walk through fashion, music and celebrity as we know it.
HEAT, Dubai Design District, d3, courtyard between buildings 9 and 10, Design Quarter, www.depurydepury.com, +971 4 4333000. Thursday 25 February – Friday 15 April 2016, 10am-10pm, entrance is free. www.mariotestino.com.
