Viviane Sassen: an experiment in the unorthodox

An unexpected explosion of paint, a distorted shape, intertwining, static bodies – Dutch photographer, Viviane Sassen’s startling and experimental vision of the fashion world is one without restraint. “For me it’s important that images somehow confuse me or disturb me or grasp me for a long time,” she told Dazed last year, reiterating her unconventional approach to an industry steeped in ‘superficiality’. This gifted fashion photographer’s brand of surreal, sculptural artistry will be on display at her first ever London exhibition; Analemma: Fashion Photography 1992 – 2012 from this Friday, featuring a dynamic, multi-media centred display of 350 of her most transformative and iconic fashion images.

A long-time collaborator of Dazed, Sassen doesn’t strive for perfection in her work, indulging in the mysterious and obscure; “For me, fashion is one big playground, a place to experiment.” Her (at times unsettling) photography aims to mess with the viewer's preconceptions about what a fashion photograph is – something she confronts head on in her exhibition. Fashion itself takes a secondary role to her powerful imagination, her innate sense of image making – both corrupting and dazzling you simultaneously.

Analemma: Fashion Photography 1992 – 2012 will run from 31 October until 18 January at The Photographers’ Gallery, for more information click here.