The Gallery at Hermès’ last exhibition of the year, titled Martine Fougeron: Teen Tribe, opens September 19 at its Madison Avenue flagship.
With French artists and transformation as its theme, Teen Tribe is a series of 23 color photographs of Fougeron’s two sons, beginning when they were aged 13 and 14 in 2005, and their friends as they grew up in both New York, where Fougeron is based, and France, where she was born.
“The work explores adolescence as a liminal state, between childhood and adulthood, between the feminine and the masculine and between innocence and a burgeoning self-identity. The focus is on the adolescents’ heightened states of minds,” said Fougeron in a statement.
Twice a year, the Parisian label hosts photography exhibitions under the patronage of the Hermès Foundation, which was established in April 2008 to develop and nurture relationships with contemporary artists by exhibiting their work and supporting their newest creations.
Earlier this year, the Gallery at Hermès exhibited Charles Fréger: Wilder Mann, which similarly explored the idea of metamorphosis, albeit through mythological and primitive rituals. Both Fréger’s and Fougeron’s series are also linked in their exploration of the theme of tribes, namely man’s desire to be both a unique individual and part of a larger group.
The exhibition is presented by the Hermès Foundation as part of the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF)’s Crossing the Line Festival 2013. Curated by Cory Jacobs and located on the fourth floor of Hermès at 691 Madison Avenue, Martine Fougeron: Teen Tribe will be open to the public from September 20, 2013 through November 8, 2013.
For a slideshow of some of the photographs on exhibition, click here.
