HAPPY FACES

Baltimore native Eric Lyle Lodwick’s Happy Faces invites the viewer to look beyond the veil of the fashion world, and get lost in moments of introspection, vulnerability, and jubilance. Shot between 2011-2012, a pivotal time in fashion, the images capture moments of solitude between shows, afterparties, and everyday instances that might otherwise be overlooked in such a fast-paced environment. The photographs echo the fleeting youth and vibrant nightlife of New York City and Paris, two cities the model and artist spent time working with brands like Comme des Garcons, Lanvin, Balenciaga and Agnes B. Quite the contrary to an outsider’s perspective of the industry’s reputation, these candid images see their happy subjects with their guards down—enjoying a meal, locked in a kiss or embrace, reading the newspaper on the subway. Two particular color images that stick out—a photo of an older woman in a bubblegum pink pantsuit outside of a diner, and an image of the back of a couple’s auburn and bleach blonde coifs staring out into a crowded bar—are reminiscent of Nan Goldin’s downtown ballads. A black and white photo of a bare-shouldered girl smoking a cigarette in a park is also memorable. The skin on her wrist is creased from a hair tie, her eyes tired and hair static, showing a more intimate side of Lodwick’s portraiture.

(Happy Faces, LSH CoLab, Los Angeles, 2019)