This article originally appeared on i-D France.
Since the late 1990s, French photographer Charles Fréger has created portraiture that sits at the intersection of contemporary art and fashion. Travelling the world with his camera, his work is often a visually rich examination of folkloric tradition, communities and culture. Now, having exhibited internationally, published numerous books and worked with the likes of Walter van Beirendonck, the photographer from Bourges is bringing a fascinating series of portraits to a 19 year retrospective of his career in Milan at the Armani/Silos Cultural Centre.
The show, entitled Fabula, has over 250 images, and looks to capture the tensions that occur between the individual and the collective. What is a community? What is the uniform of a community? By immortalising these outfits in his photographs — from officers in the Namibian army to traditional Breton women — Fréger’s work becomes part-documentary and anthropological exploration, part-art and fashion photography.
‘Fabula’ by Charles Fréger is on at the Armani/Silos museum until 24 March.
