Mead Carney and André Werther are proud to present ‘Exposure’, a retrospective of iconic works by legendary fashion photographer Hans Feurer.

Hans Feurer is considered one of the leading figures in fashion photography. His genre-defining career spans fifty years; from his famous shots of 1960’s ‘Swinging London’, the 1970’s Nova campaign and the revolutionary 1980’s KENZO campaigns, as well as numerous collaborations with the world’s most respected fashion publications including ELLE, VOGUE and NUMERO.

“Fashion has always fascinated me and I’ve always tried to understand the dream behind the images – and these photographs are kind of dream projections, you know? Of what one could be, of where one’s desires might lead you.”

Instantly recognisable characteristics of Feurer’s iconic photographs are intense natural settings bathed in a contrasting play of light and shadow and a bold juxtaposition between layers of rich fabric and the female form, all rendered in lush, cinematic colours with minimal retouching, leading to a prolific body of work; a world of authentic images, naturally lit and equally expressive, as they are alluring.

Feurer’s time spent travelling across Africa for two years in the late 1960’s was a crucial catalyst of the visual aesthetic that has come to define his work. It was in Africa that Feurer discovered his exceptional sensibility for light and his love for the natural wonders of the continent. Strong influences of his travels are evident in the inherent sense of adventure Feurer’s images convey, as well as the raw, expressive quality of his photographs.

Feurer’s female figure is strong and ferocious, sensual and uninhibited, moving effortlessly, her expressions reflecting intensity and vigour. Crucial to Feurer’s work is to capture a very particular moment where an emotion reveals itself in the movement of the model and the scene truly comes to life. “I don't do sterile, formal pictures”, Feurer describes his process of capturing that elusive moment. “I like to make pictures that provoke an emotion and affect you in your feelings. For that, both the woman and the clothes need to come alive.”

In the 1980’s, the collaborations between designer Kenzo Takada and Hans Feurer marked a turning point in contemporary fashion photography. The era-defining advertising campaigns for KENZO, featuring super model Iman, subverted traditional campaign imagery through Feurer’s use of a new global aesthetic of culture looking further afield for inspiration. Thirty years later, this powerful creative partnership between Feurer and Kenzo acted as a fundamental inspiration for Kenzo’s A/W 2013 collection and the subsequent book launch at KENZO in London, featuring one hundred and seventy five of Feurer’s most iconic images to illustrate his remarkable career.

Hans Feurer was born in Switzerland in 1939. After studying art in Switzerland, he worked in London as a graphic artist and illustrator and, subsequently as an artistic director for various advertising companies. In 1966, he decided to leave his job in order to travel Africa, which marked a turning point in his career. Upon his return to London he began working as a photographer. In 1974, he photographed the legendary Pirelli calendar and since that time has worked with the most important and influential fashion magazines in the world, from Elle to Vogue; from Numéro right up to the most recent monographic issue of Antidote, entirely dedicated to his work.