Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Jul 05, 2025

The Virgin Mary, Supermarkets, & Popcorn Come Together in New Miles Aldridge Retrospective

The Virgin Mary, Supermarkets, & Popcorn Come Together in New Miles Aldridge Retrospective

With his first exhibition opening at Fotografiska New York, the British artist speaks with L’OFFICIEL about the many layers of his images.

There is really no mistaking a Miles Aldridge photograph. Bright, glossy, and Pop-edged, the fashion-favored artist stirs references to film noir and domestic worlds with quiet subversion. Opening this week, Aldridge’s touring retrospective debuts at Fotografiska New York with his first U.S. museum exhibition. Aptly titled Virgin Mary. Supermarkets. Popcorn. Photographs 1999 to 2020, this showcase of more than 60 works weaves together a range of subjects from religious Virgin Mary figures to consumerist Stepford Wives to 2-D/3-D scenes of movie-goers. In the artist’s surreal visual world, the layers of his work-and its subtle, endless questioning-is often as enigmatic as the images themselves.



With an aesthetic that whispers unease, the photographer tackles diverse themes with a common unsettled feeling. From his glamorous, conflicted heroines to his pictures of art provocateur Maurizio Cattelan, the symbolism in Aldridge’s photos is always left to the viewer’s devices. “In my work, there is a singular message, which is something I have strived for as an artist. There is a signature visual language and a certain type of palette,” Aldridge tells L’OFFICIEL. “The aim is to say something meaningful and specific. How to make it subjective is the question and how to make it personal is the challenge."



In the showcase, color-saturated portraits of Donatella Versace and Marina Abramovic are positioned alongside images of models veiled with religious allusions and blank, pensive stares. The delicate tension between their vacancy and what goes on behind their eyes creates a tangible restlessness. Their expressions give away nothing, while hinting at much beneath the shiny veneer. The stark contrast and ruptured perfection is classic Aldridge.



“I came into being as an artist through fashion, which is often about surface, improvement, and being your best self, even if your core is not changed by this,” says Aldridge. “As human beings, we are storytellers—and clothes, makeup, and hair are great for telling stories. My ideas tend to come from a darker universe, because presenting life as ever perfect and wholesome does not fit with my experience. From news stories to the literature of [Anton] Chekhov and [Raymond] Carver, there is always a bittersweet element there."

London-born Aldridge (b. 1964) took a young interest in photography. He was also inspired by his father Alan Aldridge, a famous art director and illustrator, who worked with the likes of The Beatles and The Who. The younger Aldridge went on to study graphic design at Central Saint Martins. After working as an illustrator and music video director, he turned his attention back to his first love of photography. The artist quickly made a name for himself in fashion, collaborating with Vogue Italia editor Franca Sozzani for many years and creating ad campaigns for luxury brands and major designers including Giorgio Armani, Karl Lagerfeld, and Yves Saint Laurent.



Throughout his body of work, Aldridge always seeks to push the limits of what photography can be, beyond the elements portrayed in his images. He embraces a Hollywood vision of the world, while courting themes of art history and undercurrents of ennui. “In my work en masse, there is so much color inspiration from cinema-I love the way the sky looks in a Hitchcock film, a green Cadillac, or a yellow 'Do Not Park' sign,” shares Aldridge. “I went on this journey into color and I started to riff on [Mark] Rothko, [Henri] Matisse, and Francis Bacon motifs. I wanted a combination of real life as seen through a Hollywood lens. There is joy there, but there is real life too. It is our world ramped up, a color postcard with darker themes beneath, which is a continuous algorithm of my work.”



It feels ironic that Aldridge’s dystopia-tinged images are unveiled while the world is reaching for post-pandemic air. Yet the artist’s worldview is not pessimistic as much as a deep dive into philosophical questions. Beneath his stylized photos, the complexity intends to be authentic and true. “My images are not cynical as though we are all doomed. Part of my modus operandi is to scratch away at surfaces. A great guide was Blue Velvet, David Lynch's squeaky-clean Oz with sunny days and birds singing, but it's a brutal world beneath that,” explains Aldridge. “The duality felt so true when talking about beauty, possessions, luxury, and aspirational goodies. My focus is always more about the questioning and the idea of what is interesting and dimensional, rather than what is just beautiful.”

Virgin Mary. Supermarkets. Popcorn. Photographs 1999 to 2020 is on view through October 2021 at Fotografiska New York in New York City.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
×