Beyond the Portrait, Young American Photography

November 30, 2005

Curated by Elena Bordignon

Tanyth Berkeley, Jona Frank, Alix Smith and Alec Soth

Tommy Hilfiger Europe B.V. is delighted to announce the official opening of TH INSIDE, a new art exhibition space designed to showcase emerging American artists in Piazza Oberdan 2A, Milan. For its premier exhibition, TH INSIDE will feature four American photographers: Tanyth Berkeley, Jona Frank, Alix Smith and Alec Soth, in a group show titled "Beyond The Portrait, Young American Photography."

Curated by Elena Bordignon, "Beyond The Portrait, Young American Photography" brings these four artists together in an exhibit designed to expose the individual: the presence beyond the stereotypical, the conformism, and the rhetorical. TH INSIDE's exhibition thematically depicts the complex and kaleidoscope-like society of young American life through a series of telling portraits of the youth generation. Each photographer has captured their subjects in their most vulnerable form, allowing onlookers an intimate look into the individuals' reality. Through a complete appreciation of each portrait, onlookers can begin to understand the many similarities and differences characterizing American society.

In Tanyth Berkeley's series, she presents the unusual beauty of diaphanous faces in order to convey diversity as a virtue to defend and protect. In Jona Frank's collection, she portrays the hidden fragility within various stereotypical roles of youth. Alix Smith's portraits reveal how theatrical and ephemeral characteristics are concealed behind everyday life while Alec Soth's portraits anchor his roots and confirm his heritage.

"I am extremely proud to be a part of the initiative to bring emerging American talent into the art world of Milan," says Tommy Hilfiger, Honorary Chairman and Principal Designer of Tommy Hilfiger Corporation. "The Italian public has always been extremely receptive to American culture and I look forward to featuring up and coming American artists at TH INSIDE in Italy. I hope that the Italian public will see TH INSIDE as a point of reference for exceptional original American exhibitions."