Viviane Sassen: In and Out of Fashion

If you haven’t heard of Dutch photographer Viviane Sassen and her work, now’s the time to get clued up. The contemporary photographer is bringing her first retrospective exhibition, In and Out of Fashion to the UK this autumn and it is not one to be missed. With different pieces of her work from 1995 to 2012 on display, there’s something on show that will interest every photography enthusiast; from the fans who will know her work inside out to those who are just lovers of fashion and amazing imagery. Along with her photographic work the exhibition is littered with her notes, plans and magazines she has worked with and taken inspiration from. The centrepiece of the retrospective is a mirror, onto which 200 of Sassen’s images are projected.

Sassen initially studied fashion design and worked as a model before she started studying photography in 1992. Both her artwork and her fashion photography are stamped with her signature style. However, while her art work is surreal, flamboyant and extremely personal, her fashion photography is made in a collaboration with a large team of people. Sassen has said that for her fashion photography is a place where she can work spontaneously while assisted by a team, almost like a laboratory where the photographs are the experiment.

By working with small, underground magazines, Sassen was not caged by convention and was able to take a more playful and creative approach to fashion photography. Some of the work she has done for magazines like Purple and Dazed & Confused are on show throughout the exhibition, as well as some of her more recent work for clients such as ACNE and Louis Vuitton.

In and Out of Fashion will open on 19 Oct and will be staying at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh until the 2 Feb. Although its only stop in the UK is in Edinburgh, the good news is there is no admission charge, so for those who don't live in the capital, all it will cost is the train fare!