A follow-up to the photographer Matthew Brookes’ Les Danseurs, published in 2015, Expression of Freedom once again deep-dives into the melliferous world of dance, celebrating the togetherness and inclusivity found through the art form. In the last 10 years, Brookes traveled across four continents for this grand photographic project, capturing dancers in motion within their geographic contexts—Paris, Milan, London, South Africa, New York, Brazil and Los Angeles. The dancers showcased are representative of a diverse array of backgrounds and ages; acclaimed professionals share space with street performers. Dancers include: Marie-Agnes Gillot, Aurelie Dupont, Roberto Bolle, Friedemann Vogel, Hugo Marchand, Germain Louvet, Guillaume Diop, Leroy Mokgatle, Matthew Ball, Megan Lecrone. They are representatives of the most prestigious dance companies in the world, such as the Paris Opera Ballet, the Royal Ballet in London, La Scala Ballet in Milan, Stuttgart Ballet and the NYC Ballet Company. Matthew Brookes is a photographer known for his editorial projects and his natural and simplistic style. Born in England and raised in South Africa, Brookes’ photographs have been featured in major magazines such as Vanity Fair, Vogue, L'Uomo Vogue and GQ. In addition to his work with models and celebrities, Brookes is fascinated by the dynamism of the human form in motion and enjoys photographing athletes and dancers. In 2015, Brookes published his first monograph with Damiani, Les Danseurs, a portrait of the ballet dancers of the Paris Opera.
The second monograph by New York– and Paris-based photographer Matthew Brookes, Into the Wild is a vibrant celebration of surf life. For this project, Brookes followed a group of young surfers from Venice Beach on their adventures up and down the coast. The result is a story of van culture along the California coast—a story of youth choosing to follow their dreams, living out of vans, existing for surf and travel and freedom, and always chasing the best waves. The documentary-style photographs are typical of Brookes’ work, with ethereal shots punctuating more naturalistic photos. The book includes interviews with the surfers done by Zack Raffin from the major surf magazine Stab Magazine. Raffin is a young surfer himself and grew up surrounded by van culture, positioning him as an insider voice as much as a journalist. Matthew Brookes is a photographer known for his editorial projects and his natural and simplistic style. Born in England and raised in South Africa, Brookes’ photographs have been featured in major magazines such as GQ Style, Vogue and L'Uomo Vogue. In addition to his work with models and celebrities, Brookes is fascinated by the dynamism of the human form in motion and enjoys photographing athletes and dancers. In 2015 Brookes published his first monograph with Damiani, Les Danseurs, a portrait of the ballet dancers of the Paris Opera.
Published by Damiani. Introduction by Marie-Agnès Gillot.
This collector’s edition of Matthew Brookes’ acclaimed Les Danseurs is limited to 25 copies and includes the book as well as a signed and numbered black-and-white print. Brookes’ style of photography emphasizes the natural raw emotion of his subjects. In his first book, Brookes turns his lens toward the professional male ballet dancers of Paris. For one year in the life of these dancers, he took them out of their regular environment of rehearsals and performances and photographed them in a neutral space, where they were allowed to explore the physicality of dance in its essential form. Brookes’ stunning series of portraits depicts the pure physicality of the male dancer.
Published by Damiani. Introduction by Marie-Agnès Gillot
For his first book, photographer Matthew Brookes has turned his lens upon the professional male ballet dancers of Paris. Over the course of a year, he took these dancers out of their regular environment of rehearsals and performances and photographed them in a raw space in which they were allowed to explore the physicality of dance in its purest form. This series of portraits depicts the dancers' responses upon being asked to interpret birds falling from the sky. The introduction is by Parisian prima ballerina Marie-Agnès Gillot, who has worked with these dancers over the years and watched them grow and develop. Brookes was born in England, grew up in South Africa, and is presently based between Paris and New York.
Matthew Brookes: Into the Wild
Matthew Brookes: Les Danseurs
Matthew Brookes: Les Danseurs