{"id":1829148,"date":"2026-03-16T12:08:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T09:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1829148"},"modified":"2026-03-16T12:08:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T09:08:00","slug":"these-portraits-interrogate-the-power-of-celebrity-in-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1829148","title":{"rendered":"These portraits interrogate the power of celebrity in America"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/0-0-2354-1569\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441674.jpeg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article standard \">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/art-photography\/article\/69913\/1\/dana-lixenberg-american-images-mep-paris-exhibiiton-tupac-trump-lil-kim\" data-article-id=\"69913\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-portrait-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img has-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.78\" data-template=\"Standard Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dana Lixenberg, American Images, MEP, exhibition, Paris\" class=\"img\" height=\"3000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1280\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441674.jpeg\" width=\"2354\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"inner\"><span class=\"credit\">\u00a9 Dana Lixenberg Courtesy of the artist and Grimm Amsterdam | London | <span class=\"nowrap\">New York<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-03-16T12:08:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"16 March 2026\"><span class=\"month\">March<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"16\">16,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - art-photography\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\">Art &amp; Photography<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/lightbox\">Lightbox<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"standard-tag-container\"><a class=\"standard-category\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\">Art &amp; Photography<\/a> \/<br \/>\n<a class=\"standard-series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/lightbox\">Lightbox<\/a><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>These portraits interrogate the power of celebrity <span class=\"nowrap\">in America<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>From Tupac Shakur to Trump, Dana Lixenberg\u2019s exhibition American Images invites us to reconsider the power we invest in public personas and <span class=\"nowrap\">celebrity culture<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-03-16T12:08:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"16 March 2026\"><span class=\"month\">March<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"16\">16,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-03-16T12:08:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"16 March 2026\"><span class=\"month\">March<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"16\">16,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/SelmaNouri\">Selma Nouri<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-13-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">Dana Lixenberg, <span class=\"nowrap\">American Images<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36846\/0\/dana-lixenberg-american-images\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dana Lixenberg, American Images, MEP, exhibition, Paris\" class=\"img\" height=\"1569\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2354-1569\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441674.jpeg\" width=\"2354\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36846\/1\/dana-lixenberg-american-images\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dana Lixenberg, American Images, MEP, exhibition, Paris\" class=\"img\" height=\"1570\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-90-2355-1570\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441684.jpeg\" width=\"2355\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36846\/2\/dana-lixenberg-american-images\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dana Lixenberg, American Images, MEP, exhibition, Paris\" class=\"img\" height=\"1688\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2532-1688\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441686.jpeg\" width=\"2532\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36846\/3\/dana-lixenberg-american-images\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dana Lixenberg, American Images, MEP, exhibition, Paris\" class=\"img\" height=\"1566\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2350-1566\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441678.jpeg\" width=\"2350\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36846\/4\/dana-lixenberg-american-images\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dana Lixenberg, American Images, MEP, exhibition, Paris\" class=\"img\" height=\"1569\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-68-2354-1569\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441683.jpeg\" width=\"2354\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36846\/5\/dana-lixenberg-american-images\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dana Lixenberg, American Images, MEP, exhibition, Paris\" class=\"img\" height=\"1569\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2354-1569\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441677.jpeg\" width=\"2354\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 13 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/america\">America<\/a> is flawed \u2013 that\u2019s no secret. Yet, what photographer Dana Lixenberg\u2019s candid body of work reveals is that we cannot fully distance ourselves from its complexities. The contradictions and truths we treat as new revelations have long been embedded in US culture. <\/span><span>From her intimate photographs of daily life in a Los Angeles housing project to her portraits of some of America\u2019s most notorious figures, from P Diddy to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/donald-trump\">Donald Trump<\/a>, Lixenberg suggests that these realities were never truly hidden so much as persistently overlooked. To see them required only a shift in attention: a willingness to step outside ourselves and to confront what we have quietly ignored or chosen not to see.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In her first major retrospective, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mep-fr.org\/en\/event\/dana-lixenberg-american-images-2\/\"><em><span>American Images<\/span><\/em><\/a><span>, which is currently on view at the Maison Europ\u00e9enne de la Photographie in Paris, the Dutch photographer presents over three decades of work shaped by her time in the United States. Using a 4\u00d75-inch view camera, she isolates her subjects from the distractions of social contexts. She deliberately confronts their humanity, revealing the dignity of the marginalised while exposing the vulnerabilities of the \u2018elite\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"b4c8fc64-39b2-44b5-b7f6-b40f00b1eb5c\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441684.jpeg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.79\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dana Lixenberg, American Images, MEP, exhibition, Paris\" class=\"img\" height=\"3000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441684.jpeg\" width=\"2357\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Dana Lixenberg, Tupac <span class=\"nowrap\">Shakur, 1993<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">\u00a9 Dana Lixenberg Courtesy of the artist and Grimm Amsterdam | London | <span class=\"nowrap\">New York<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>In 1993, Lixenberg achieved her first major break when she photographed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tupac-shakur\">Tupac Shakur<\/a> for the influential hip-hop magazine <em>Vibe<\/em>. In the now-iconic image, Tupac tilts his gaze slightly downward, revealing a quiet innocence that sharply contrasts with the \u201cthug life\u201d persona he was known for.\u00a0In this stripped-down context, Lixenberg\u2019s portraits offer an intimate way to understand and question the entrenched hierarchies that still shape American society. For instance, in the aftermath of the 1992 Los Angeles uprisings, she began photographing residents in the Imperial Courts housing project in South Central LA, producing an ongoing series of portraits that moved beyond the one-dimensional media representations of poverty and violence. \u201cI was interested in the people themselves,\u201d she says, \u201clooking beyond the sensationalism to make portraits that reflected both the humanity and charisma of the people I met.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The same ethos guided her work in Jeffersonville, Indiana, where, for several years, she photographed individuals seeking refuge from homelessness through Haven House Services. \u201cI\u2019m particularly invested in the power of a well-crafted image and its ability to shift viewers\u2019 perceptions of a subject or community\u2026or to create common understanding,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Reflecting on the broader context of her work in the United States, Lixenberg adds, \u201cMy photos feel like pieces of a larger puzzle. Having travelled across the country and photographed diverse subjects and communities, I\u2019ve come to understand better how everything is interconnected \u2013 from social and political complexities to the pervasive influence of celebrity culture.\u201d Set against the spectacle of superiority and a sacred reverence for capital, she uses the nuanced language of portraiture to reveal the myth of the American dream, reminding us, through the simplicity of human emotion, that the pursuit of power is bound by certain limitations, however beyond-the-law some individuals may feel they are.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"150f51a4-8695-48c2-8180-b40f00b1f277\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441686.jpeg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.78\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dana Lixenberg, American Images, MEP, exhibition, Paris\" class=\"img\" height=\"1688\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441686.jpeg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Dana Lixenberg, Video still from Imperial Courts, 2015<br \/>\nThree-channel video, 69 minutes, <span class=\"nowrap\">color, sound<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">\u00a9 Dana Lixenberg Courtesy of the artist and Grimm Amsterdam | London | <span class=\"nowrap\">New York<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>\u201cWhen I photographed now-disgraced figures like P Diddy, R Kelly, and Harvey Weinstein \u2013 whose portraits appear as part of a broader slideshow in the exhibition or in the polaroid presentation \u2013 most of their transgressions had yet to surface,\u201d Lixenberg explains. Over time, these images have taken on new meaning, revealing how the seemingly invincible can fall from grace. Even her 1998 portrait of Trump standing awkwardly in a gilded room carries a different weight in light of his presidency. By setting aside the force of public persona, Lixenberg reveals the immense power we invest in individuals.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cFor this reason, regardless of who I\u2019m photographing,\u201d she says, \u201cit\u2019s essential for me to approach each subject with respect. This principle remains true even when I photograph white supremacists or anti-abortionists. While I disagree with their views, my intention is never to demonise anyone\u2026 I simply aim to capture people living their truth, so that when they see their portrait, they recognise themselves.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Through Lixenberg\u2019s intimate photographs, the still image becomes less a triumph over time than a quiet confrontation with it. What emerges from the faces she captures is the fragile, fleeting image of America itself. Regardless of wealth or power, she reveals, no one is invincible, and no myth or veneer can ultimately shield us. Under her camera\u2019s lens, we are all exposed, and in the immediacy of the present moment, there is no more urgent message.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mep-fr.org\/en\/event\/dana-lixenberg-american-images-2\/\">American Images<\/a><em><span> is running at the Maison Europ\u00e9enne de la Photographie until 24 May 2026.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. 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src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-1-1787-1189\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/0\/1440350.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">La dolce vita: These photos explore Cortina beyond the Olympic hype<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/article\/69821\/1\/dazed-club-handpicked-this-curator-for-a-new-show-in-london\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Newsletter \u2013 2\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-0-1624-1080\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/0\/1440245.png\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Dazed Club handpicked this curator for a new show in London<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a class=\"card-latest\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/article\/69799\/1\/catherine-opie-to-be-seen-npg-exhibition-london-interview-photography\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"card-latest__img-wrapper\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Pig Pen by Catherine Opie, 1993 &#169; Catherine Opie\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/480\/0-407-2100-1396\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/3\/1433996.jpg\"><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"card-latest__content\">\n<h3 class=\"card-latest__title\">Catherine Opie on \u2018perverts\u2019, Heated Rivalry and photographing neo-Nazis<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline\" data-newsletter hidden>\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-13-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">Dana Lixenberg, <span class=\"nowrap\">American Images<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36846\/0\/dana-lixenberg-american-images\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dana Lixenberg, American Images, MEP, exhibition, Paris\" class=\"img\" height=\"1569\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2354-1569\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441674.jpeg\" width=\"2354\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36846\/1\/dana-lixenberg-american-images\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dana Lixenberg, American Images, MEP, exhibition, Paris\" class=\"img\" height=\"1570\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-90-2355-1570\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441684.jpeg\" width=\"2355\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36846\/2\/dana-lixenberg-american-images\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dana Lixenberg, American Images, MEP, exhibition, Paris\" class=\"img\" height=\"1688\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2532-1688\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441686.jpeg\" width=\"2532\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36846\/3\/dana-lixenberg-american-images\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dana Lixenberg, American Images, MEP, exhibition, Paris\" class=\"img\" height=\"1566\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2350-1566\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441678.jpeg\" width=\"2350\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36846\/4\/dana-lixenberg-american-images\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dana Lixenberg, American Images, MEP, exhibition, Paris\" class=\"img\" height=\"1569\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-68-2354-1569\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441683.jpeg\" width=\"2354\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/gallery\/36846\/5\/dana-lixenberg-american-images\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dana Lixenberg, American Images, MEP, exhibition, Paris\" class=\"img\" height=\"1569\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-0-2354-1569\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441677.jpeg\" width=\"2354\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 13 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/america\">America<\/a> is flawed \u2013 that\u2019s no secret. Yet, what photographer Dana Lixenberg\u2019s candid body of work reveals is that we cannot fully distance ourselves from its complexities. The contradictions and truths we treat as new revelations have long been embedded in US culture. <\/span><span>From her intimate photographs of daily life in a Los Angeles housing project to her portraits of some of America\u2019s most notorious figures, from P Diddy to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/donald-trump\">Donald Trump<\/a>, Lixenberg suggests that these realities were never truly hidden so much as persistently overlooked. To see them required only a shift in attention: a willingness to step outside ourselves and to confront what we have quietly ignored or chosen not to see.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In her first major retrospective, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mep-fr.org\/en\/event\/dana-lixenberg-american-images-2\/\"><em><span>American Images<\/span><\/em><\/a><span>, which is currently on view at the Maison Europ\u00e9enne de la Photographie in Paris, the Dutch photographer presents over three decades of work shaped by her time in the United States. Using a 4\u00d75-inch view camera, she isolates her subjects from the distractions of social contexts. She deliberately confronts their humanity, revealing the dignity of the marginalised while exposing the vulnerabilities of the \u2018elite\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"b4c8fc64-39b2-44b5-b7f6-b40f00b1eb5c\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441684.jpeg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.79\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dana Lixenberg, American Images, MEP, exhibition, Paris\" class=\"img\" height=\"3000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441684.jpeg\" width=\"2357\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Dana Lixenberg, Tupac <span class=\"nowrap\">Shakur, 1993<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">\u00a9 Dana Lixenberg Courtesy of the artist and Grimm Amsterdam | London | <span class=\"nowrap\">New York<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>In 1993, Lixenberg achieved her first major break when she photographed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tupac-shakur\">Tupac Shakur<\/a> for the influential hip-hop magazine <em>Vibe<\/em>. In the now-iconic image, Tupac tilts his gaze slightly downward, revealing a quiet innocence that sharply contrasts with the \u201cthug life\u201d persona he was known for.\u00a0In this stripped-down context, Lixenberg\u2019s portraits offer an intimate way to understand and question the entrenched hierarchies that still shape American society. For instance, in the aftermath of the 1992 Los Angeles uprisings, she began photographing residents in the Imperial Courts housing project in South Central LA, producing an ongoing series of portraits that moved beyond the one-dimensional media representations of poverty and violence. \u201cI was interested in the people themselves,\u201d she says, \u201clooking beyond the sensationalism to make portraits that reflected both the humanity and charisma of the people I met.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The same ethos guided her work in Jeffersonville, Indiana, where, for several years, she photographed individuals seeking refuge from homelessness through Haven House Services. \u201cI\u2019m particularly invested in the power of a well-crafted image and its ability to shift viewers\u2019 perceptions of a subject or community\u2026or to create common understanding,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Reflecting on the broader context of her work in the United States, Lixenberg adds, \u201cMy photos feel like pieces of a larger puzzle. Having travelled across the country and photographed diverse subjects and communities, I\u2019ve come to understand better how everything is interconnected \u2013 from social and political complexities to the pervasive influence of celebrity culture.\u201d Set against the spectacle of superiority and a sacred reverence for capital, she uses the nuanced language of portraiture to reveal the myth of the American dream, reminding us, through the simplicity of human emotion, that the pursuit of power is bound by certain limitations, however beyond-the-law some individuals may feel they are.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"150f51a4-8695-48c2-8180-b40f00b1f277\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441686.jpeg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.78\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dana Lixenberg, American Images, MEP, exhibition, Paris\" class=\"img\" height=\"1688\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/786\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441686.jpeg\" width=\"3000\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Dana Lixenberg, Video still from Imperial Courts, 2015<br \/>\nThree-channel video, 69 minutes, <span class=\"nowrap\">color, sound<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">\u00a9 Dana Lixenberg Courtesy of the artist and Grimm Amsterdam | London | <span class=\"nowrap\">New York<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>\u201cWhen I photographed now-disgraced figures like P Diddy, R Kelly, and Harvey Weinstein \u2013 whose portraits appear as part of a broader slideshow in the exhibition or in the polaroid presentation \u2013 most of their transgressions had yet to surface,\u201d Lixenberg explains. Over time, these images have taken on new meaning, revealing how the seemingly invincible can fall from grace. Even her 1998 portrait of Trump standing awkwardly in a gilded room carries a different weight in light of his presidency. By setting aside the force of public persona, Lixenberg reveals the immense power we invest in individuals.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cFor this reason, regardless of who I\u2019m photographing,\u201d she says, \u201cit\u2019s essential for me to approach each subject with respect. This principle remains true even when I photograph white supremacists or anti-abortionists. While I disagree with their views, my intention is never to demonise anyone\u2026 I simply aim to capture people living their truth, so that when they see their portrait, they recognise themselves.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Through Lixenberg\u2019s intimate photographs, the still image becomes less a triumph over time than a quiet confrontation with it. What emerges from the faces she captures is the fragile, fleeting image of America itself. Regardless of wealth or power, she reveals, no one is invincible, and no myth or veneer can ultimately shield us. Under her camera\u2019s lens, we are all exposed, and in the immediacy of the present moment, there is no more urgent message.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mep-fr.org\/en\/event\/dana-lixenberg-american-images-2\/\">American Images<\/a><em><span> is running at the Maison Europ\u00e9enne de la Photographie until 24 May 2026.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-inline-last\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-small\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<h1 class=\"newsletter-title\">Escape the algorithm! Get The Drop<\/h1>\n<div class=\"meta-row\">\n<p class=\"meta\">Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"confirmation\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p class=\"confirmation-title\">Thank you. You have been subscribed<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/privacy-policy\" class=\"meta-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\nPrivacy policy<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/article\/69913\/1\/dana-lixenberg-american-images-mep-paris-exhibiiton-tupac-trump-lil-kim&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/0-0-2354-1569\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441674.jpeg&#8221;] \u00a9 Dana Lixenberg Courtesy of the artist and Grimm Amsterdam | London | New York March\u00a0 16,\u00a0 2026 Art &amp; Photography \/ Lightbox Art &amp; Photography \/ Lightbox These portraits interrogate the power of celebrity in America From Tupac Shakur to Trump, Dana Lixenberg\u2019s exhibition American Images invites us to reconsider the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-1829148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1829148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1829148"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1829148\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1829148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1829148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1829148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}