In the autumn of 1989, photographer Nick Waplington was introduced to fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi through their mutual friend, the titan of photography Richard Avedon. This initial meeting would turn into a three-year working and personal relationship, resulting in a collection of photographs of the goings-on behind the scenes at Mizrahi’s studio in downtown Manhattan.
With his daylight hours filled with the creativity and chaos of the fashion studio, Waplington also turned his lens by night to the pounding and equally innovative world of the New York City house and techno scene. Waplington describes his decision to bring the two sets of images together as a riotous juxtaposition which “describes the vibrancy of a vanished moment in New York’s cultural history.”
Hamiltons was delighted to show this sparkling and vivacious selection of photographs following the artist’s highly acclaimed 2024 show, Living Room, at the gallery. Waplington’s unique style grants us access to a golden moment where the worlds of fashion, art and music offered limitless expression and unadulterated freedom. In these images, the seam that separates night and day holds a crackling electricity and invites us to experience the burning intensity of a now-vanished world.
Nick Waplington, 'Untitled from the Series We Dance In Mysteries' 1989-1995 No. WDM 196, 1989-1995 © Nick Waplington