Oliviero Toscani | Toscani Chez Mazzoleni

Mazzoleni presents Toscani Chez Mazzoleni, the first solo exhibition at the London gallery by the internationally celebrated photographer and art director Oliviero Toscani.

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The show follows the major exhibition that took place at Mazzoleni Torino between November 2022 and January 2023. Bringing together a curated selection of photographs chosen by the artist himself, the London show presents new and historical shots – printed on microcement using an innovative technique – to the UK art scene. A special event with the participation of the artist at the Embassy of Italy in London will complement the exhibition, presenting his other ongoing project Razza Umana (Human Race) on 26 April.

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Oliviero Toscani (b. 1942) is internationally known as the creative force behind some of the most famous magazines and brands, such as Polaroid, Porsche, Chanel, as well as Elle, GQ, Vogue, among many others, working in Paris, London, Milan and New York. However, Toscani has always gone beyond commercial goals, masterfully exploiting the medium of photography to support his own version of contemporary humanism. To Toscani, photography is communication, and “communication, with its entire media, could really be at the service of the humanity. Being creative means researching the new language that we are looking for to symbolise and identify the human condition and the exertions of society, to understand and explain the new world that is racing towards us with the speed of a meteorite. They could be utilised to help enrich humanity in the laborious task of expressing itself better in this world, to connect with the rest of society and permit a better future." (Oliviero Toscani, speech presented at ADC NY and D&AD London Arts Directors Club, in More than Fifty Years of Magnificent failures, 2015).