Legendary choreographer Martha Graham famously referred to ballet as 'language of the soul'. But for all its poetic beauty, there is a brutal reality; an unyielding physical struggle in search of artistic perfection.
This duality is the subject matter of photographer Rick Guest's latest series 'What Lies Beneath', due to open at the Hospital Club Gallery later this week (22 January.)
Created in collaboration with stylist Olivia Pomp, the series of portraits – Guest's second focusing on dancers – strips away the glory of dance to reveal the determination and sacrifice behind the art form. 'I wanted to make a series of portraits of the dancers themselves, as opposed to dancers dancing,' explains Guest.
Dancers from The Royal Ballet, The English National Ballet, the Richard Alston Dance Company, and Wayne McGregor's Random Dance come under his inquisitive lens, 'I wanted to see how their art has both shaped and etched itself into their bodies.'
This level of disclosure – dancers stripped down to their worn and battered practise uniforms (the smallest piece of self expression in an otherwise uniform act) – is rare indeed. After all, these are performers who have trained their entire lives to conceal the enormity of the effort at hand. 'I think that this does a great disservice to the dancers. Having a sense of what lies beneath both enhances our experience of the performance and leads to a more profound appreciation of the dancer’s essential being.'
A number of limited edition prints will be on sale during the exhibition, as well as an accompanying book designed by Loose Joints, which also features an essay by art editor Sarah Crompton.
Pictured left: Tamara Rojo, 2015, lead principal and artistic director with The English National Ballet. Right: Edward Watson, 2015, principal with The Royal Ballet
Pictured left: Edward Watson, 2013, principal with The Royal Ballet. Right: James Streeter, 2015, soloist with The English National Ballet
Pictured left: Marianela Nuñez, 2013, principal with The Royal Ballet. Right: Eric Underwood, 2014, soloist with The Royal Ballet
Pictured left: Edward Watson, 2015, principal with The Royal Ballet. Right: Sarah Lamb, 2015, principal with The Royal Ballet
Pictured left: Sergei Polunin, 2012, principal with The Moscow Stanislavsky Ballet Company and Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. Right: Melissa Hamilton, 2014, first soloist with The Royal Ballet
Pictured left: Zarina Stahnke, 2014, Corps de Ballet, The Semperoper Ballett. Right: Nehemiah Kish, 2013, principal with The Royal Ballet and Yuhui Choe, first soloist with The Royal Ballet
Pictured left: Louis McMiller, 2014, dancer with Wayne McGregor Random Dance. Right: Zenaida Yanowsky, 2013, principal with The Royal Ballet
INFORMATION
’What Lies Beneath’ is on view from 22–31 January. The book is available to pre-order via the Rick Guest Books website
ADDRESS
Hospital Club Gallery
24 Endell Street
London, WC2H 9HQ
-
Must-visit cinemas with award-worthy designCreativity leaps the screen at these design-led cinemas, from Busan Cinema Centre’s record-flying roof to The Gem Cinema Jaipur’s art deco allure
-
The modernist home of musician Imogen Holst gets Grade II listingThe daughter of the composer Gustav Holst lived here from 1964 until her death, during which time the home served a locus for her own composition work, which included assisting Benjamin Britten
-
This fun and free-spirited photography exhibition offers a chromatic view on the world‘Chromotherapia’ at Villa Medici in Rome, explores how we view colour as a way of therapy, and how it has shaped photography over the last century (until 9 June 2025)
-
New York photography show sees cultural icons – from David Hockney to Maya Angelou – in unguarded moments‘Face to Face’ at New York’s International Center of Photography (27 January – 1 May 2023) sees cultural icons shot by Tacita Dean, Brigitte Lacombe and Catherine Opie
-
Inez & Vinoodh on 35 years of radical photography, being ‘two brains, one person', and judging our Design AwardsDutch photography duo and Wallpaper* Design Awards 2023 judges Inez & Vinoodh discuss image manipulation, design aspirations, and capturing the legendary Julianne Moore
-
Vanessa Beecroft’s ethereal performance and sculpture exhibition explore Sicily’s cultural historyAt the historic Palazzo Abatellis, Sicily, Vanessa Beecroft has unveiled ‘VB94’, a new tableau vivant comprising a one-time performance and a new series of sculptures, the latter on view until 8 January
-
Subversive artist Cosey Fanni Tutti on individuality and annihilating limitationsFollowing the launch of her new book Re-Sisters, we speak to Cosey Fanni Tutti about conquering fear through action, stepping into the unknown, and the secret to making art that matters
-
A poignant exploration of the lives of transgender and gender non-conforming older peopleTo celebrate Pride Month 2022, we revisit photographer Jess T Dugan’s series of intimate portraits of transgender adults over 50, first explored by Wallpaper* in this 2020 article on the occasion of an exhibition at Minneapolis Institute of Art
-
Chris Levine on creating his iconic portrait of Queen Elizabeth II: ‘I was the wild card’For the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, we spoke to artist Chris Levine about the making of his iconic hologram portraits of Her Majesty. He reflects on two years of preparation, that fateful day in Buckingham Palace, and Lightness of Being, the outtake that almost outshone the original
-
Can the Marina Abramović Method change your life?Lady Gaga and Jay-Z are among those who have followed the Abramović Method to reach higher creative consciousness. Now, the artist’s iconic approach has been translated into a series of instruction cards for all. If you don’t try, you’ll never know
-
Ragnar Kjartansson’s dramatic soap opera inaugurates GES-2 in MoscowIcelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson inaugurates the much-anticipated V-A-C Foundation’s GES-2 House of Culture in Moscow. Santa Barbara – A Living Sculpture is a bold, theatrical work that examines the relationship between Russia and the US
