Engaging with Chris Rhodes’ images means finding romance in the mundanity performed by his subjects: sometimes a faded floral lampshade, elsewhere a dirty gold letterbox. Frequently enveloped in natural sunlight and typically modest in composition, this found beauty exists in contrast to the photographer’s initial introduction to the medium, which he summarises as being mostly about the mechanics – ‘the technologic process, the idea of freezing a moment that could not be captured by the eye’ – than anything specifically artistic.
Informed early on by the work of Joel Sternfeld and Simone Nieweg, it was a similarly pragmatic approach that saw him switching from larger formats to 35mm, a move which subsequently shaped the aesthetic that won over fans like including fashion heavyweights Gucci and Helmut Lang. Away from a coveted client list, it’s his personal work – much of it shot across the globe while on assignment for said list – that has amplified his production and led to Hotel Mermaid Club: his debut imprint published by RVB Books, and a correlating show at Webber Gallery, now open until 20 December.
The move to a more lightweight apparatus (on which much of the project was shot), he explains, allowed ‘me to see differently. The camera became a purpose on my short term explorations. It wasn’t a conscious decision or something that I deliberated on. It’s completely impulsive and instinctive.’ This machinery’s attributes are mirrored in the more concrete characteristics of his operation too, as he tells Wallpaper*, ‘I wouldn’t say the creation of photography in terms of image making is overly consuming. I work very freely. Over the years I have taken trips purely to make work, however I was never fully satisfied with these images. I used to take photographs every day, even when I didn’t feel like taking photographs, but over time I have learnt to only photograph when I feel the need.’
If Hotel Mermaid Club looks familiar, it’s because the book has been in the making for several years, while an earlier public showing of the work took place at Webber in 2017, comprising 15 photographs (today’s edition nears 55). ‘The original show was more of a testing ground, and ultimately led to the completion of the book,’ Rhodes explains. ‘Hotel Mermaid Club was a working title – from a building sign in Tokyo. When I was reviewing the images the bizarre translation felt absurd, almost like a state of being. It became more relevant when I started to sequence the project.’ Invariably in a Hotel Mermaid Club frame of mind, a second volume is apparently already near to being completed.
INFORMATION
Hotel Mermaid Club, €38, published by RVB Books. webberrepresents.com
ADDRESS
Webber Gallery
18 Newman Street
London W1T 1PE
-
Fendi celebrates 100 years with all-out runway show at its new Milan HQIn the wake of Kim Jones’ departure, Silvia Venturini Fendi took the reins for a special co-ed A/W 2025 collection marking the house’s centenary, unveiling it as the first act of celebrations within Fendi’s expansive new headquarters in Milan
-
‘Leigh Bowery!’ at Tate Modern: 1980s alt-glamour, club culture and rebellionThe new Leigh Bowery exhibition in London is a dazzling, sequin-drenched look back at the 1980s, through the life of one of its brightest stars
-
Inside the unexpected collaboration between Marni’s Francesco Risso and artists Slawn and SoldierNew exhibition ‘The Pink Sun’ will take place at Francesco Risso’s palazzo in Milan in collaboration with Saatchi Yates, opening after the Marni show today, 26 February
-
‘Leigh Bowery!’ at Tate Modern: 1980s alt-glamour, club culture and rebellion
The new Leigh Bowery exhibition in London is a dazzling, sequin-drenched look back at the 1980s, through the life of one of its brightest stars
-
‘Yay, To Have a Mouth!’: a London show explores our oral fixation, from Freud to fairytalesThis group show at Rose Easton gallery in east London, created in collaboration with Ginny on Frederick, uncovers our fascination with the mouth
-
High low culture and the sickly sweetness of Tootsie Rolls: Derrick Adams in LondonDerrick Adams plays with themes of Black Americana in ‘Situation Comedy’ at Gagosian London.
-
The Barbican as muse: composer Shiva Feshareki on bringing the brutalist icon to life through musicFor the last two years, British-Iranian experimental composer and turntablist Shiva Feshareki has been drawing on the Barbican’s hidden history as a gateway for her new piece. She talks to Wallpaper* about her Brutalist muse
-
Out of office: what the Wallpaper* editors have been doing this weekA taste of the dolce vita in London, some permanent artwork and a new eyeshadow palette – it's our editors' picks of the week
-
Daniel Arsham’s new monograph collates the works of the auto-obsessed American artist‘Arsham Motorsport’ is two volumes of inspiration, process and work, charting artist Daniel Arsham’s oeuvre inspired by the icons and forms of the automotive industry
-
'We need to be constantly reminded of our similarities' – Jonathan Baldock challenges the patriarchal roots of a former Roman temple in LondonThrough use of ceramics and textiles, British artist Jonathan Baldock creates a magical and immersive exhibition at ‘0.1%’ at London's Mithraum Bloomberg Space
-
Discover Rotimi Fani-Kayode's fluid photographs of the queer male body, on show in London‘Rotimi-Fani Kayode: The Studio – Staging Desire’ at Autograph ABP celebrates the work of the Nigerian-born photographer
