“The Spectacle of Fashion” exhibition by Miles Ladin '90, photographer, through Dec. 11

The Spectacle of Fashion, an exhibition featuring over 20 years of work by photographic artist Miles Ladin '90 that focuses on celebrity culture and its intersection with the world of fashion, will be on view Nov. 5 - Dec. 11 in the Connecticut College Cummings Arts Center galleries.  

Ladin will open the exhibition with a talk about his art on Thursday, Nov. 5, from 4:15-5 p.m. A reception follows from 5-6 p.m. in the galleries. The event and the exhibition are free and open to the public. A catalog featuring an essay by New York Times columnist Bob Morris will accompany the exhibition.

Gallery hours for the exhibition are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 1- 4 p.m. The galleries are closed for the Thanksgiving break from Wednesday, Nov. 25 through Sunday, Nov. 29.

Ladin, an alumnus of Connecticut College, is known for his sardonic pictures of the rich and famous shot in the 1990s for The New York Times and W Magazine. Rather than celebrating glamour or the craft of couture, Ladin’s gaze is a social critique. Black and white photographs shot at exclusive locations capture the various players with both humor and foreboding.

Along with some of those images will be a selection of photographs from the 30 seasons of New York Fashion Week the photographer shot for Women’s Wear Daily. Also, a video created by the artist provides an intimate look at the frenetic backstage scene encountered at the fashion shows. The exhibition showcases fashion-related images taken from the front row, on the runway, backstage, and at exclusive parties. These vantage points allow the viewer to revel in the seductive quality of the superficial, even while confronted with the underbelly of beauty and fame. The survey presented includes pictures shot at Paris Fashion Week in addition to images of swimwear commissioned by the Wolfsonian Museum in Miami. The show will include large-scale prints, vintage pre-press editorial prints, and images never before published or exhibited.

Also on view will be “Supermodels at the End of Time,” a new, limited edition artist’s book to be published next year, which combines Ladin’s pictures of supermodels shot in the 1990s with text by author Bret Easton Ellis.

The exhibition is sponsored by the Department of Art. Call (860) 439-2740 for more information.

For more information about Miles Ladin visit his website: www.MilesLadin.com.