Ngasekuqaleni kwalo nyaka, iRobert Mapplethorpe Foundation ixhumane noRaf Simons. Bambuza ukuthi angathanda yini ukusebenza nabo kokuthile. Wathi yebo. Leyo inguqulo ye-shorthand yendaba engemuva kweqoqo alithula e-Pitti Immagine Uomo, ehambisana kahle ne-duo yemibukiso ye-Mapplethorpe e-LACMA kanye nase-Getty Museum, kanye nedokhumentari ye-HBO enesihloko esingezansi esithi Bheka Izithombe. Kwakuyisikhathi esifanele. Futhi uSimons ungumlandeli we-Mapplethorpe, ngakho-ke bekuyiciko elilungile. “Ngihlonishiwe,” kusho uSimons ngemuva kombukiso wakhe, izwi lakhe livevezela imizwa. Ngakho wawuvala umqondo ayesebenzela kuwo weqoqo (wayengeke adalule ukuthi laliyini; wathi, lingase liphume embukisweni wakamuva) futhi waqala ukusebenzisana kwakhe kwakamuva namaciko.
Ngokuvamile, lapho uSimons esebenza nomdwebi, uya kubo. Kulokhu, okuguquguqukayo kwase kushintshile ngandlela-thile. Ukuphana kwesipho se-Mapplethorpe Foundation kubonakala ngokuphana kwencazelo kaSimons: Ayikho ingubo embukisweni we-Simons's Spring 2017 ongafaki ukuphrinta kwezithombe ze-Mapplethorpe. Amamodeli akhe wesilisa anezinwele ezisontekile, namakepisi ebhayisikili esikhumba atsheke ngendlela eyengayo, ayevame ukufana kakhulu nomthwebuli wezithombe ngokwakhe—nakuba uSimons athi, esikhundleni sokusebenzisa ama-doppelgängers omdwebi, “wonke umfana uwumfanekiso womsebenzi othile.” Ngamunye angaba yi-Mapplethorpe sitter. Amahembe abhincezayo abenemithunzi yemyuziyamu edumile ka-Mapplethorpe u-Patti Smith kukhava ye-albhamu yakhe yamahhashi. URobert Sherman, imodeli i-alopecia eyenza isikhumba sakhe sacishe semabula ezithombeni zakhe eziningi ezishuthwe nguMapplethorpe, naye ubekhona kulo mbukiso. USimons bekumele asule amalungelo ezinkampani zangaphandle nabo bonke abahleli ngaphambi kokukhiqiza kabusha izithombe zabo. Kwaqala inkhulumomphendvulwano eyaholela ekucwilisweni engxenyeni kaSimons emsebenzini kaMapplethorpe.
Sekushiwo lokho, lo mculi uzihlalele kakhulu. UMapplethorpe wayengumlingisi othakazelisayo, futhi ubuciko abunakuhlukaniswa nendoda. “Uma ucabanga ngomsebenzi, kukhulu ngaye,” kusho uSimons, futhi, ngempela, kwakumayelana nezingubo ayezigqokile, futhi. Ohambweni lokuzitholela ucansi, eziningi zezithombe zokuqala ze-Mapplethorpe zaziyizithombe ezizimele ze-Polaroid, ezihlotshiswe ngegiya lesikhumba, zihlola imikhawulo yenjabulo nobuhlungu. Kamuva, wabhala izithixo zakhe zobulili; indawo yesikhumba kanye ne-BDSM ikakhulukazi. Izembatho zaziyingxenye ebalulekile: Ngesinye isikhathi, uMapplethorpe waqala ukwelula izingubo zakhe zangaphansi (ezigugile) ezinqamulelweni zamapulangwe ukuze enze izithombe eziqoshiwe ezingajwayelekile; kamuva, wagqoka isikhumba esimnyama.
USimons uyakwazi konke lokho. Ngakho-ke iqiniso lokuthi ukuhlonipha kwakhe uMapplethorpe kwazizwa kuyindilinga ngokuphelele, kunothando futhi kuyiqiniso. Ubuqili bezinkomba eziningi zikaSimons wanika umbukiso ukujula-iphalethi yakhe emnyama; mhlophe; izithunzi ezidabukile zenyama ebomvu, ebomvana, ensomi; kanye ne-burgundy yegazi elihlangene; amadunge esikhumba abenyezela ngezinsimbi. USimons uchithe izinsuku ezimbili zantambama ezulazula endaweni yomlando yaseMapplethorpe yamashidi okuxhumana. Wazabalaza namagama esiNgisi ukuchaza lawo magama: Wawabiza ngokuthi “amamephu,” okuwumbono othakazelisa kakhulu futhi ovusa inkanuko lapho usetshenziswa ekusesheni kukaSimons, ukuthola indawo entsha yeMapplethorpe, ukumenza azizwe efanelekile futhi ejabulisa isizukulwane esisha. . Yilokho ayekubona indima yakhe.
Nami ngingumlandeli weMapplethorpe. Angikwazanga ukuzibamba kodwa ngihlanganise lo mbukiso nokuthakasela kuka-Mapplethorpe ngamafreyimu, ngokunikeza isithombe sakhe isici esinezinhlangothi ezintathu, ikhwalithi eqoshiwe ngokufaka amafreyimu nokuhlanganisa ngamavelvethi aluhlaza kanye nezinkuni ezingavamile, ukunamathisela isithombe ezintweni. Ukwenza izithombe zakhe zibe ngaphezu kwalokho ezingase zivele kuqala. U-Simons wenza uhlaka lwezithombe ze-Mapplethorpe ngendwangu, kodwa wabuye wazifaka kuhlaka emzimbeni: isithombe esiphrintwe ethafeni, sisho, sizungezwe amakhethini amalepu wejazi, noma sembulwe esikimbeni ngaphansi kwejezi elihehekile. USimons udonseleka ezithombeni zezimbali zocansi zikaMapplethorpe, izithombe zakhe ezinhle zezihloko ezidumile ezinjengoDebbie Harry, obanjwe yi-coronas of light, kanye namaciko uSimons ahlanganyela nawo abawancomayo, njengo-Alice Neel, owathwebula isonto noma ngaphezulu ngaphambi kokushona kwakhe endaweni. isithombe esingajwayelekile sango-1984. Ucansi lwaluphakathi lapho, futhi; USimons wayephikelela kulokho. Ijakhethi egcwele phansi yaphenduka ngenkumbulo ukuze iveze isithombe se-phallus eqondile.
Wabuye wasebenzisa inkulumo ethi “curation” ukuze achaze lo mbukiso: “Bengifuna ukuwubheka njengombukiso wasemnyuziyamu, noma umbukiso wegalari. Okwenziwe kaningi uma kukhulunywa ngomsebenzi kaMapplethorpe. UCindy Sherman wakwenza, uDavid Hockney wakwenza. Kodwa njalo kugalari.” Waswaca uSimons. “Ngingumsiki wengqephu. Bengicabanga ukuthi inselelo enkulu kuzoba wukukwenza endaweni yami.”
Isici sokulondoloza senzelwe umbono othakazelisayo, ikakhulukazi esikhathini lapho abaklami abaningi befaneleka futhi bebhekisela ngaphandle kwekhredithi—futhi lapho abantu abaningi bejikijela isenzo esithi “curate.” Kuyinkomba yemvelo kaSimons—enenhlonipho, ethule, enobuhlakani obuphakeme—ukuthi akabonanga leli qoqo njengendalo yakhe enesithombe sikaMapplethorpe eqalwe phezu kwayo, kodwa njengokubambisana okufana nombukiso wegalari, lapho indima yakhe yayikhona, okungenani ingxenye, yaba ngcono kakhulu. khombisa imisebenzi ayinikiwe. Kodwa futhi kwakuwukusebenzisa leyo misebenzi ukuxoxa indaba entsha, ejabulisayo nevusa inkanuko. Ukuze usibonise okuthile okusha okuvela kokwaziwa kakhulu, nokubonakala okuningi, izingobo zomlando ze-Mapplethorpe. Ngokungangabazeki wakwenza.