Photographer Willy Vanderperre Turns His Eye On New York

“New York, to me, has always been about youth,” said the Belgian photographer Willy Vanderperre at the opening of his first-ever show in the city, up at Red Hook Labs until September 25th. True to its name, “prints, films, posters, and more,” is a rather straightforward, States-side introduction of the work that’s gained him a cult following in Europe over the last 20 years, from massive photos of Julia Nobis in archival Prada and teens standing in the nude to teensy pins of his portraits taped to the wall (not to mention concert tees and other assorted merch). And even during the throes of New York Fashion Week, Vanderperre’s old fans and friends showed up for the opening, including the equally youth-culture obsessed Raf Simons.