Robert Mapplethorpe
Dennis Speight, 1983
Gelatin silver print
20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe: Animism, Faith, Violence, and ConquestCurated by Jacolby Satterwhite

Morán Morán is pleased to announce Animism, Faith, Violence, and Conquest, an exhibition of Robert Mapplethorpe’s photographs curated by Jacolby Satterwhite. Animism, Faith, Violence, and Conquest aims to bridge the temporal gap between primal imagery and contemporary experience, reflecting on how themes of animism, faith, sex, death, violence, and conquest have perpetually shaped our social structures and individual psyches. Mapplethorpe’s images act as a visual diary, documenting the cyclical nature of human existence and the omnipresence of animism within this cycle. The photographs, featuring subjects interacting with objects symbolic of power, survival, and transcendence, serve as metaphors. By curating a selection of photographs that thoughtfully pair human subjects with symbols of power and faith, ranging from weaponry and religious iconography to machinery and animals, this exhibition is a meditation on the nature of life and the role of animism in understanding our experience.

Each photograph is a testament to the dynamic interplay of objects and beings, underscoring the belief that everything in the universe possesses a spiritual essence. Mapplethorpe’s work, known for its complex symbolism, captures the raw beauty and power of its subjects. This exhibition examines philosophical questions and assumptions about social evolution and the roles that faith, power, sexuality, and technology play in shaping human societies. The work also considers the complex interplay of spirituality and sexuality within the matrix of social and individual identity, seeking to explore the ways in which these themes have served both as a means of empowerment and as tools of conquest. Examining these images through a lens of animism shines light on where faith intersects with identity, and sexuality converges with power. Animism, Faith, Violence, and Conquest acknowledges the complexities of our existence and recognizes the duality of divine and darkness in all aspects of humanity.

Dates

February 24 - May 04, 2024

Opening Reception

Saturday, February 24, 6-8pm

Location

641 N Western Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90004

Artist

Robert Mapplethorpe

Installation Views

All images: Robert Mapplethorpe: Animism, Faith, Violence, and Conquest, 2024, curated by Jacolby Satterwhite, installation views. Courtesy of Morán Morán

Installation view
Robert Mapplethorpe: Animism, Faith, Violence, and Conquest, 2024
Courtesy of Morán Morán

Artworks

Robert Mapplethorpe
Self Portrait, 1983
Gelatin silver print
25 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(63.8 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Boot Fetish, 1979
Gelatin silver print
25 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(63.8 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Nick Marden, 1980
Gelatin silver print
25 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(63.8 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
William Burroughs, 1981
Gelatin silver print
29 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(74 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Snakeman, 1981
Gelatin silver print
29 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(74 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Fencing, 1976
Gelatin silver print
25 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(63.8 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Dominick and Elliot, 1979
Gelatin silver print
25 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(63.8 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Clothespinned Mouth, 1978
Gelatin silver print
25 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(63.8 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Marcus Leatherdale, 1978
Gelatin silver print
25 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(63.8 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Frank Diaz, 1980
Gelatin silver print
25 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(63.8 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Lisa Lyon, 1982
Gelatin silver print
25 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(63.8 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Television, 1982
Gelatin silver print
25 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(63.8 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Cock And Devil, 1982
Gelatin silver print
25 1/8 x 29 1/8 inches, framed
(63.8 x 74 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Lisa Lyon, 1982
Gelatin silver print
29 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(74 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Marty Gibson, 1982
Gelatin silver print
25 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(63.8 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Jack Walls, 1983
Gelatin silver print
25 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(63.8 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Robert Rauschenberg, 1983
Gelatin silver print
25 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(63.8 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Jack Walls, 1983
Gelatin silver print
25 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(63.8 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Dennis Speight, 1983
Gelatin silver print
25 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(63.8 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Lisa Lyon, 1983
Gelatin silver print
25 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(63.8 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Dennis Speight, 1983
Gelatin silver print
25 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(63.8 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Jack Walls, 1983
Gelatin silver print
29 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(74 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Lisa Lyon, 1983
Gelatin silver print
29 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(74 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
White Gauze, 1984
Gelatin silver print
25 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(63.8 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Paris Fashion / Dovanna, 1984
Gelatin silver print
25 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(63.8 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Leatherman, 1980
Gelatin silver print
25 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(63.8 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Italian Vogue, 1983
Gelatin silver print
29 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(74 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Raymond, 1984
Gelatin silver print
29 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(74 x 63.8 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Thomas, 1986
Gelatin silver print
33 x 29 inches, framed
(83.8 x 73.6 cm, framed)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.

Robert Mapplethorpe
Magnus Bischofberger, 1985
Gelatin silver print
25 1/8 x 25 1/8 inches, framed
(63.8 x 63.8 cm)
©Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. Used by permission.