Tyler Shields is considered by many to be one of the most popular contemporary, active photographers. Shields will be exhibiting his newest collection of images and book, Provocateur, in the Hyde Park Miller Gallery on December 15.
Tyler Shields is known for his anti-glamour celebrity portraits, often with counterculture and anti-consumerism messages. Shield’s popular photos for other series include a black man hanging a KKK member, a woman fighting an alligator for a $100,000 alligator-skin purse and a bride and groom sinking underwater. The project was shot on ten brands of camera and seven film stocks and formats, and features a wide range of stunning visual work.
For Provocateur, Shields set fire to a $15,000 Louis Vuitton chest. Watch a Behind-the-scenes video here. He also blew up a Rolls Royce 1970’s Silver Shadow car for the series. There has been controversy over the morality of destruction for the sake of art, a point Tyler Shields hoped to raise.
Watch Tyler Shields reduce a Rolls Royce to ashes
Provocateur largely focuses on societal outlooks on human impulses, often through somewhat racy photos with the intent of asking the questions “why does this make me uncomfortable?” and “what does this really say?”.
“Art is an imagination. Pornography is a fact,” Shields explained.
In other words, the series is intended to provoke thought, not to be viewed in a sexual light. Provocateur is french for “inciting agent,” and refers to one who provokes– Provocateur hopes to provoke emotion and thought through larger-than-life, vibrant images. Over Thanksgiving weekend, the book surged to the #1 spot on the Amazon new release photography-book chart, where it is currently up for sale.
Tyler Shields encourages young and new photographers to move away from shooting in already-popular and unoriginal styles simply for the sake of approval. Although Shields has 378,000 followers on Instagram, he recommends novices shoot for more than social media glory.
“[Photography] is a marathon, not a sprint. People try to hurry now, like it’s a race. They do things just to get “likes”, and that’s no good,” Tyler Shields explained.
Many artists struggle to make new work in a world where it seems that everything has already been done again. It is Shield’s opinion that no idea is truly original at conception.
“Everything has already been done until you do something new in your own way,” Shields explained.
Shields claims to be looking forward to sharing his work at the Hyde Park gallery this December.
“We’ve got a great selection coming,” he explained.
Visit Tyler Shield’s Website to see more of his work and to learn more.
The Miller Gallery in Hyde Park will open the Exhibition on December 15
