Tyler Shields – Chromatic at Imitate Modern

Tyler Shields, “Hollywood’s favourite photographer”, displays his new Chromatic series at Imitate Modern.

Shields, having photographed Lindsay Lohan sporting a gun and girlfriend Francesca Eastwood mutilating a £100,000 Hermes Birkin bag, is infamous for his extreme photography and ruffling a few feathers. The new Chromatic series is a colourful, more conservative approach compared to his previous works. Shields has created a show of loud colours with surprisingly soft imagery.

Focusing his inspiration on Eastwood, the Chromatic collection displays a “frenzy of brightly coloured powder paint” coupled with “light-hearted” staging and theatrical lighting. Showing images of models play fighting and pulling faces with powder paint, Shields has produced a collection of playful and beautiful pictures. With hints of urban and fashion culture, Chromatic is a must-see for all photography enthusiasts. 

Shields explains: “I was starting out professionally and I went to see the owner of a top American fashion magazine. When I said I wanted to take wild, crazy, sexy, violent, provocative images unlike anything anyone had done before in the over-protective world of entertainment, they said to me: ‘That will never happen.’  At that point I realised I wasn’t going to be able to go the traditional route in photography.”

Tyler’s work sways between mildly provocative and strikingly controversial. The Chromatic series is the “family-friendly “ answer to one of America’s most shocking photographers.

Verdict: ••••

Ashlea Griffith

Chromatic will be open to public at Imitate Modern until 21^st February 2013. For further information, visit here.