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StĂŠphane Sednaoui *Backgroud *Pop culture photography *early career *portraiture photography
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*Fashon photography *Photographic essays *Pop culture photography
*Art *Personal life *Music videos
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Directo jose alturo canibales Consejo Editorial fernando martelo Laura gonzales diana de la hoz Editor Brayan lopz Director de arte santiago nu単ez Diagramacion Brayan lopez Fotografia alejandro gamarra Coloboradores permanentes maucio philis jorge luis movilla miguel mansur Jefe de produccion herman bolivar
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StĂŠphane Sednaoui 6
Born in Paris, France is a French-American photographer, director and producer whose work includes Photographic essays, Portrait photography, Fashion photography, photojournalism, music videos, and art projects. Sednaoui is noted for his inventive visual style and his multi-medium approach. “Sednaoui has transcended genres, techniques and categories 7
Background At age 9, when sneaking at night to watch on television Luis Buñuel’s surrealist movie Un Chien Andalou, Stéphane Sednaoui experienced his first visual shock, reacting both with horror and complete fascination. He credits viewing Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey for inspiring him at age 12 to become a director. He also credits Walt Disney’s Fantasia for being his ultimate adaptation of music to film influence. As a teenager in Paris, he spent most of his time in theaters educating himself by watching the countercultural American movies of the 70’s.
Pop culture photography More than his start in the fashion world it was his 1988 explosive contribution debut to the iconic pop culture magazine The Face and Annie Flanders’ Details publication (initially an underground magazine) that sets the standard for Stéphane Sednaoui’s world. There he experimented his skills further by transcending genres and mixing pop culture with fashion references in an artistic unconventional way. In the hand-made decoupage story “Fashion Heroes” Sednaoui photographed designers Jean-Paul Gaultier, Azzedine Alaia and Vivienne Westwood, alongside the iconic models of that era, creating an epic super heroes adventure that became a
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Early career Although Stéphane Sednaoui never received formal training as a photographer-director and never was a photographer’s assistant, it is by working with artists who trusted him that he shaped his artistic approach between the ages of 18 and 22: At 18 he started as a casting director for advertising campaigns before passing in front of the camera to become the face of Jean-Paul Gaultier’s brand for two years (19821984). He then modeled for photographers Steven Meisel and Peter Lindbergh, and for artist Andy Warhol. At 21 he was the casting director of the docufiction movie “Mode in France” (1985) directed by his mentor photographer-director William Klein and at 22 he experienced being a dancer, part of the French choreographer Régine Chopinot’s company for her creation “Le Défilé” (1985).
Portraiture photography
Sednaoui’s first editorial assignment was in 1985 at age 21 when he was offered to do portraits for UK Tatler magazine and then for French Newspaper Libération. He has since collaborated with many magazines, among them: Vanity Fair, The New York Times Magazine, Interview and the French Newspaper Le Monde. He is noted for his choice of forceful characters such as Charlotte Gainsbourg, Courtney Love, Hilary Swank, Salma Hayek, Björk, Sofia Coppola.
Fashion photography At age 22, Franca Sozzani gave Sednaoui his first fashion assignment (1986) for the Italian magazine Per Lui. Sednaoui’s initial approach of fashion was energetic and sometimes cartoonish, setting up the ground as a pop culture artist for an explosion of dynamic visuals in the pages of UK magazine The Face two years later. As a fashion photographer a more narrative cinematic fashion approach will emerge in 2000; naturally influenced by his years as a music video director. It is again Franca Sozzani who invited Sednaoui to contribute this time to Vogue Italia. Sednaoui has been also a regular contributor of French Numéro, Vogue China, and Visionaire.
Photographic essays Stephane’s first love for photography was found in the form of Photographic essays by his mentors, William Klein, Robert Frank and Bill Brandt. It is as a photo essayist, from 1981 documenting his life and entourage that Sednaoui initially intended to experiment with photography. His early work was published in art magazines and although his career quickly took off in other fields, it is his continuous dedication to photo-essay that represent the main volume of his archive.
reference for many and was given an award by both jury William Klein and Jean-Paul Goude at the 1990 International Photography Festival. Building on his success, Stéphane Sednaoui started creating visuals and albums covers for artists such as Björk, Mick Jagger and Madonna. His energetic style will naturally lead him to direct music videos a few years later.
Pop culture photography
After a successful start of his career in fashion and pop culture publications, Stéphane Sednaoui decided to cover the Romanian Revolution of 1989 (published in French newspaper Libération and UK Arena magazine). Given the solemnity of what he photographed there he faced a dilemma to resume working for glossy magazines once back in Paris. Through the year 1990 Sednaoui flirted with the thought of becoming a war photographer and it is a friend who diverted him from that idea by offering him something he had never done before: directing a music video. Ten years later when Stéphane Sednaoui photographed and filmed the fall of the twin towers on the September 11 attacks, and then volunteered to search for survivors at Ground Zero’s World Trade Center site the same torn feelings hit him again.
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Art
Music videos
1990 - “Le monde de demain” by Suprême NTM 1991 - “Kozmik” by Ziggy Marley 1991 - “Give It Away” by Red Hot Chili Peppers 1991 - “Mysterious Ways” by U2 1992 - “Breaking the Girl” by Red Hot Chili Peppers 1992 - “Sometimes Salvation” by The Black Crowes 1993 - “Way of the Wind” (version 1) by P.M. Dawn 1993 - “Fever” by Madonna Personal life 1993 - “Today” by The Smashing Pumpkins Stephane Sednaoui credits his grand mother the French wri- 1993 - “Big Time Sensuality” by Björk ter Danaé Kalder, and whom throughout his childhood he 1994 - “Nouveau Western” by MC Solaar
Although some of his editorial photography and music videos work are considered by some as art pieces, by 2001 the need to explore further compelled Sednaoui to reevaluate his artistic approach and express himself in a more unaltered and uncensored manner. Moving forward he initiated his own films & photographic projects that he has showed in solo or group exhibitions in New York, Paris, Beijing’s Today Art Museum and Shanghai’s MOCA.
believed to be his grand-father, the abstract painter PierreAndré de Wishes, for shaping his intellectual and artistic mind. His mother was the photographic agent Yannick Morisot, while his aunt is the French-American painter Evelyne Morisot and his uncle the Jazzman David Earle Johnson. Sednaoui’s grand-father came from Egypt to France, he was from an Orthodox Christian family that finds its roots in the city of Sednaya, Syria and who migrated to Egypt at the end of the 19th century. The now decayed Sednaoui department store of Cairo was once the middle eastern counterpart of those known in London, Paris and New York.
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works in 2000
2000 - “Mixed Bizness” by Beck 2000 - “Tailler la zone” by Alain Souchon 2000 - “Let’s Ride” by Q-Tip 2000 - “Disco Science” by Mirwais 2000 - “I Can’t Wait” by Mirwais 2001 - “Dream On” by Depeche Mode 2001 - “Little L” by Jamiroquai 2003 - “Anti-matter” by Tricky 2009 - “Get It Right” by YAS
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