Inside Willy Vanderperre’s arresting new exhibition

Entering Willy Vanderperre’s latest exhibition prints, films, a rave, and more…, you are immediately met with distressed posters of Julia Nobis from the 2015 Document Journal cover, plastered all over the walls in the style of flyposting for music or fashion advertisements. Vanderperre has been photographing Nubis, one of his muses, for many years. In 2017, he created a fan zine dedicated to Nobis and another favourite, Clément Chabernaud. The arresting image of Nubis, which is so representative of his work, underscores the importance of collaboration throughout his practice, from his relationship with models to his creative partnerships with his husband, stylist Olivier Rizzo, and designer Raf Simons. 

While the image of Nobis is striking, it also reflects his fascination with fan culture at large. “The posters are like an announcement that something will happen. They already give you anticipation for what’s to come in the exhibition,” explains Vanderperre as he leads us through this new show exploring his universe. 

MoMu, the Fashion Museum Antwerp, broke new ground by inviting fashion photographer Vanderperre to present a solo exhibition. His focus on subcultures illuminates the ways in which young people have always been beacons of hope for the future, particularly in challenging times. It is a vision, as curator Romy Cockx writes in the introduction of Vanderperre’s book for the exhibition, “that has profoundly influenced the fashion world,” earning him commissions at influential magazines such as Dazed, AnOther, i-D, Perfect Magazine, Vogue, and so many more.  

Spanning almost three decades, the exhibition is an expansive survey of Vanderperre’s work to date. Mixing art history with photography, it’s testament to his diverse artistic repertoire and features films, music, and art that have influenced his career. 

Additionally, limited edition souvenirs are available to purchase, with a portion of the proceeds going to Çavaria – a prominent Flemish advocacy group supporting LGBTQ+ rights. The items available include badges, T-shirts, tote bags, books, magazines, and more. The merch creates that familiar sense of leaving the exhibition feeling like you’ve just left a concert, and you have the badges and T-shirts to prove it. This approach not only allows his audience to engage with his work in different ways but also reflects his desire to connect with them on a more personal level, turning his art into wearable, collectable pop culture artefacts.

Ahead of its opening last week, we spoke to the fashion photographer about the exhibition, the importance of remaining youthful, and how he still has much more to say.  

This exhibition deals so much with merch and fan culture. What is your favourite piece of merch that you own, and what does it mean to you? 

Willy Vanderperre: My favourite piece of merch is my Depeche Mode t-shirt. It’s not the most beautiful shirt, but it’s from my first-ever Depeche Mode concert. I collect many from concerts, but now you can just get them from thrift stores. But I am a huge fan of theirs and will always be a huge fan. 

I think we can sometimes take merch for granted, especially those who go to concerts and shows regularly, but your exhibition highlights how important these tangible pieces of memorabilia are. 

Willy Vanderperre: For this exhibition, we called the merch collectable items. While merch is a beautiful word, we chose collectable items because we’ve limited everything to 25. We can’t do an unlimited edition; we wish we could, but there’s something nice about it being so far and few between. It’s special. Merch is so important to me, not only as memorabilia, but as a collectable thing. It’s so nice to bring something home from an adventure you went on.

“The true essence of youth, it’s super fleeting, right? There’s magic to that, but also sadness” – Willy Vanderperre

This exhibition highlights how your fascination with youth has been a motivational force for almost three decades. What is it about youth that you find so fascinating? 

Willy Vanderperre: If we talk about the true essence of youth, it’s super fleeting, right? You only see the world through the eyes of a young person once in your lifetime. You get it as a teen, but you don’t quite grasp it; you don’t understand. It’s all new: new hormones, new anxieties, new doubts. There’s also this sense of feeling so alone like nobody understands you. There’s magic to that, but also sadness. When you look back at that time, you remember being miserable, but you always look back at it with fond memories when you grow old. It’s weird. 

I am also just so interested in what’s happening with the youth today. I always have to reference my niece; she turned 18 and COVID-19 happened. She could not do anything and had never been to a club; she was almost done with school, and then school was completely different. When I was younger, we had Aids and the Cold War, but the younger generation have wars and climate change. But they are still so vocal about this stuff in such positive ways. There’s something so wonderful about the actions of the younger generation. I’m genuinely excited for tomorrow because I’m interested in what the next generation have to say. I’m 53 years old, and my perception of youth has completely changed because I’m no longer your father; I am your grandfather.

How has your relationship with youth culture changed over the years, and how has that materialised in your practice? 

Willy Vanderperre: My perception of youth is different now. But I think there’s a difference between youth and youthfulness because even though I’ve aged, I will always feel youthful. It’s my energy and the way I am. I think it’s also because I’m still interested in tomorrow and want to learn.

You’re still curious. 

Willy Vanderperre: Curious, yes. When I’m talking to you, I forget my age because, for me, it’s easier to think of myself as your age. But it’s probably impossible for you to think of being my age. You probably dread it. 

I don’t dread it, actually. I say this all the time, probably to the point of annoyance, but I think ageing is a huge privilege.  

Willy Vanderperre: Yes but I think it’s essential to keep the same excitement as you have when you’re young. You have to keep that interest and curiosity; otherwise, you start to age. I honestly love the idea of ageing. When COVID-19 happened, it took so much from us, but it was also the first time I ever spent almost a year confined in my own home with my husband (Olivier Rizzo). This never happens, and I looked at him and said, ‘Wow, I can’t wait to get old.’ So it’s not that I’m afraid of growing old; I just don’t think it’s my time to grow old. I still have a drive and want to share stuff with the world. It’s not that I’m going to grasp onto that forever. I think there comes a time when you know you must embrace ageing and say ‘Yes. OK, we’ve had a good run.’

This exhibition also showcases your collaborations with Olivier Rizzo and Raf Simons. How have these relationships influenced your creative process? 

Willy Vanderperre: When you start working with someone, it’s because you have the same interest, right? You must have a base and a connection. You can’t force a relationship. A relationship must thrive the first time you work together; otherwise, you will lose it. But we found each other at a very early age. We come from three different places in Belgium and three different subcultures of youth. We challenged each other, and I think that’s the thing. We always want to improve what we’ve done, and I think that’s the beauty of it. We’re always striving to make something better, which keeps me excited – and it’s the same for Raf and Olivier. 

We don’t like to feel repetitive. That’s also what we’re trying to present to you in the exhibition — this variety of emotions and techniques. I don’t dismiss people who use that one light source throughout their career; it’s a choice. I will forever be that art student kid who goes into the laboratory and changes and mixes things up because I like it. I love that feeling. That is my choice. 

What does this exhibition mean to you? 

Willy Vanderperre: Oh, it means the world! I am convinced now more than ever that I still have a lot to say. I firmly believe in teamwork because nothing gets done on its own. This show has been all about teamwork. That’s something that we learned or more accurately, something that I already knew, but was enhanced during this process. You must always be grateful for the people who believe in the work and help you in every way possible. I also learned that there’s always a place for improvement and that a show can be exciting if you think outside the box. When people hear the term museum, they can assume it will be stuffy or boring, but it can be so alive. 

Willy Vanderperre’s prints, films, a rave, and more… at MoMu is running until August 4, 2024.