SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, SPAIN.- Galería Leyendecker presents David LaChapelle, on view 9 November - 11 December 2007. David LaChapelle (Connecticut, USA, 1963) has forged a unique style, with a uncompromising dedication to originalitaly that has become legend in the worlds of fashion, film, audiovisual industry, advertising and contemporary art. He was ranked among the Top Ten Most Important People in Photography in the World by American Photo, and has continued to garner numerous awards.

Galería Leyendecker is honoured to present in Spain David LaChapelle's most recent artistic production. These new works represent a new turn in his career, getting far from the world of celebrities, with whom he has so often worked.

Inspired by the biblical narrative of the great flood, works belonging to his new series "Awakened", as well as "Deluge", "Cathedral" and "Museum" will be shown.

In "Awakened" LaChapelle presents us anonymous and common people playing the role of biblical characters ­ Jonah, Jesse, Judith, Sarah -, immersed in water, in a levitating state. The beautiful illumination, their expressions, the wightlessness of the clothes, all that contributes to introduce the viewer into a welcoming mystical dimension. These works confirm a deep emotional involvement regarding trascendent themes, the presence of the divine in the daily life and the idea of the sublime.

"Deluge" is a contemporary interpretation of the masterwork "The Deluge", eighth Michelangelo's painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and is a cornerstone to understand the new path taken by David LaChapelle. It shows criticism of the consumer society, the decline of such universal values as kindness and empathy, and the growing attachment to material goods. In "Museum", the art system and the idea of art ownership is the object of LaChapelle's criticism, and in "Cathedral" he denounces the loss of spiritual values.

LaChapelle has become one of the most important interpreters of our time, as he creates images with an extraordinary evocative strength, that feed from art history to street culture and that are at the same time, both a striking record and unique mirror of all facets of society today.