Anton Yelchin was best known for his evocative presence on screen, recognized for playing Pavel Chekov in JJ Abrams’s Star Trek movies and a Nazi target in the prescient white supremacist thriller Green Room. If Yelchin’s life wasn’t tragically cut short, he’d probably be known for the equally haunting art he created from behind the camera. Yelchin was carving out a career as a photographer before he passed away last year, finding his niche in surreal, highly saturated portraits of his close friends and total strangers. The photos provide a rare glimpse into the inner world of a celebrity who never courted fame. Many of them feature people in peculiar masks, yet all are surprisingly intimate. Yelchin took some exquisite nudes on his Leica and disposable cameras — evidence of the trust his subjects placed in him.
A new exhibition of Yelchin’s photography in New York reveals his powerful personal legacy. Provocative Beauty comprises 54 photos taken over six years, including 25 that have never been seen before. (Others featured in Yelchin’s first post posthumous gallery show last year.) Amongst the unseen works is a series of ghostly figures in bondage-style chokers and leather masks, double-exposed and bathed in rich contrasting light. These photos are being previewed exclusively on i-D, and will be available to purchase from the exhibition. Yelchin’s portion of proceeds from sales will be donated to the Anton Yelchin Foundation, which benefits a variety of programs empowering artists who face career challenges due to debilitating disease or disability.
“Provocative Beauty” is on view at New York’s De Buck Gallery from December 13, 2016 through January 20, 2017.
Anton Yelchin, “Untitled #35”
