Amazon.com offers this terse biography of Frederic
Aranda: “he is a native Swiss
photographer based in London, who contributes to magazines such as Vogue
and Vanity Fair, and collaborates with brands like Cartier and Cutler
and Gross.” This is a minuscule catalog of this artist’s oeuvre and doesn’t
even begin to scratch the surface of the man and his talents.
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As
it turns out, Freddie as he is called by friends is one of those photographer/ artists
that happens to be a legend in the making and much more than just the sum of
his parts. He is one of the most gifted photographers of this era and who is
undoubtedly an icon in the making. Oh, and he is charming and witty and carries
an unmistakable mischief about him.
Lucky
for me that Freddie is a friend to me along with his co-author and his longtime
pal Christine Suppes. Together they gave the genre of fashion books a monograph
that could have only been accomplished by 2 kindred spirits who have a single
vision and a love for the visual as well as for fashion. (Electric Fashion, SKIRA) In
other words they wrote a love letter to fashion and style.
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“Suppes and Aranda describe this project as a journey,
but this is an unbelievably intimate demonstration of one woman’s adoration of
fashion with her “partner in crime.” Together, they have created one of the
great fashion books to have come along in this millennium to date. “www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/electric-fashion#sthash.B2VRE39g.dpuf
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The accompanying images speak for themselves even though
Freddie has become known for his stellar and distinctive group portraits; he is
an artist at heart whose “eye” is that of a portrait painter possibly of the Renaissance
era. The clarity of image, the laser sharp line, the contrasts, the colorations
and the intensity all account for the startling and mesmerizing reactions one
has when each image is viewed. He has been the subject of several one man shows
including one at the V&A which featured his work for Electric Fashion and one to benefit the victims of the Fukushima
debacle in Japan. Don’t let me forget to mention that his subjects have
included Dame Vivienne Westwood, Prince Phillip, Margaret Thatcher, Farrell
Williams, Tom Ford, Ben Stiller, just to name a few!
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At the end of the day, it is my opinion that Mr. Aranda
will more than hold his own in the pantheon of great photographers since
despite his relatively young years he has achieved a professional quality and
level of perfection that will rival the greats of the 20th century;
in essence he is not some snap shot or fly by night flavor of the month photographer
like so many who receive underserving praise.
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Now, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to Freddie in his
own words:
Jeffrey
Felner: Can you give us a brief synopsis of how you arrived to where you are
today professionally?
Frederic Aranda: I am a self-taught photographer. I
did a degree in Japanese at Oxford, during which time my parent's divorce got
me taking pictures of my mother to help her feel beautiful during a difficult
time. It was a distraction (for both of us) at first. In order to improve
technically, during term time I practiced on my Oxford classmates so that I
could return home to Switzerland during the holidays to take better pictures of
my mum. Yet, it’s what I did photographically at Oxford, not at home, which
gained momentum and which got me launched as a portrait photographer in London
after completing my degree. I've been working professionally as a photographer
for about 10 years in London, and have done three solo exhibitions (the last
one at the V&A), many editorials, and a book. The pictures of my mother
have never been shown anywhere but they contain all the passion and naiveté of
an aspiring photographer.
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JF: Let’s speak
of Electric Fashion: how did it come
about, any plans for a sequel and how did you and Christine meet and decide to
do this?
FA: Electric Fashion (MAY 2015) is collaboration between
myself, shooting all the pictures, and Christine Suppes writing all the texts.
It's my first book. It came about organically after I started photographing
Christine's clothes and realised that there was an incredible collection here
which needed to be shared with the outside world. The question then became how
to share it in a unique way, and that was where I had to convince her to pose
for me in the clothes as opposed to shooting them just as still life. We are
not planning a sequel to Electric Fashion but are working on something
different which draws on my experience as a portrait photographer and on her
life experience in California.
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JF: If you
could invite any 5 people to dinner who would they be and why them?
FA: My guests would be John Waters, Bette Midler, Gina
Riley, Jane Turner and Princess Diana. All of them have/had a joie de vivre and
a particular point of view that could only make for one hell of a dinner!
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JF: If you
could choose any collaboration, who or what would it be and why?
FA: Anohni*, truly a remarkable inspired talent
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JF: What’s the
best advice you ever received and from who and what’s your advice to up and
coming photographers?
FA: My advice is to find your voice as a photographer.
Ask yourself why you are taking pictures every single day. The answer to that
question will give you your subject matter. Also, kindness.
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* Anohni (stylized as ANOHNI), formerly known as Antony
Hegarty or Antony, is an
English-born American singer, composer, and visual artist. She is best known as
the lead singer of the band Antony and the Johnsons.
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