Dennis Cooper: “Marc Vallée is one of my favourite contemporary photographers. Many artists are photographing the young, but Vallée’s work is exceptional and solitary, avoiding the kneejerk tendency to either define the young through their fashion sense or create the impression of communing with them by smothering them with fashionable aesthetics. His photographs are fully interested in their subjects, somehow more respectful of their beauty and emotions and, at the same time, more invasive of their privacy than any other youth oriented images out there. Vallée’s work is ravishing, noble, unique, and irresistible.“
Prints above: Andreas, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NYC, 2006.
Context: Marc Vallée has been documenting the energy, self-expression and idealism of different sub-sections of youth culture since the mid 90s. Authenticity is what you get with Marc, he depicts and shoots what he knows from the inside. This autobiographical approach was first seen in his New Jersey pictures of friends on the east coast of the United States in the summer of 1995. He found that documenting his own surroundings made sense to him and back in London Marc’s focus soon became the alternative skate, queer and music scenes that he was living and working in.
Prints above: Andreas, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NYC, 2006. | Lloyd and Jamie, east London, 1997. | Skirtbox playing at the Blue Room in Watford, 2000.
In 2003 Marc took his work into many different directions. From the one off photographic installation Right, Click & Save to the long term political protest project. In 2004 with exhibitions, print sales and awards under his belt Marc became Artist in Residence at Sir John Cass School of Art and in 2005 the powerful and moving Journey to my Sister’s Funeral exhibition went on show. The one thing that holds true is that he knows what he is working with, be it grief, lust or a passion to change the world.
Scott Heim : “Right, Click & Save” is brilliant and addictive in the best possible way. Marc Vallée’s past photographs have been consistently inventive and aggressive and far, far more interesting than most of the stuff in magazines or galleries, and this new project adds a new facet to his work. These images agitate our ideas of originality and authorship, of voyeurism and vanity and absolute lust. Shown together, they leave the viewer disconcerted, a little horny, and ultimately numb.”
Selected exhibitions: “Postcards from New Jersey” Yard Gallery, London. (Solo/1995) | “London Skateboarding Scene” Film Stock Centre Gallery, London (Solo/1996) | Artomatic+ Gallery, London. (Group/2000) | Street Level Gallery, Glasgow. (Group/2000)| “Winners” Unit Two Gallery, London. (Group/2001) | “Photomonth” Alternative Arts, London. (Group/2001) | Curzon Soho Gallery, London. (Solo/2001) | “Fuckgravity -a photo/film skateboarding event” Duke of York Picture House, Brighton. (Solo/2002) | Programa Gallery, Mexico City, Mexico. (Group/2002), “AOP Open” (Group/2004) | “Journey to my sister’s funeral” London Metropolitan University (Solo/2005) | “Between the lines” Fovea Gallery, London. (Group/2005) | “Right, Click & Save” Anti-social, London (Solo/2006).
Selected youth culture, music and fashion client list: Adrenalin Magazine, Attitude Magazine, Big Cheese Magazine, Blowback Magazine, Channel 4, Deck Cheese Records, Gay Times, Guardian.co.uk, Hectic Records, Huck Magazine, Kaiserin Magazine, K-Swiss, La Repubblica, Playstation, Robert Cary Williams, Sleazenation Magazine, Sony Music, The Face, The Guardian, The Observer, Time Out, Viewpoint Magazine and XY Magazine.
Prints above: Elliot, London, 2005.
Youth culture picture library: PYMCA is the world’s premier photographic library specialising in global youth culture, lifestyle and music. A large searchable archive of pictures – for a variety of editorial and commercial clients – is available for rights managed editorial licensing.