Rock ‘N’ Roll Animals and Being Blondie-Debbie Harry by Brian Aris at Proud Camden

If like me you, you love Blondie (well who doesn’t?) and Rock n Roll then you won’t want to miss these two fantastic exhibitions at Proud in Camden.
I went at the weekend and the first room which features the Rock ‘N’ Roll Animals exhibition is a must see for all music fans. With walls adorned with black and white portrait photographs of artists such as MGMT, The Kills, Jack White, The Last Shadow Puppets and Pete Doherty, each portrait is so true to life that you can actually feel their presence. Shot by the talented Sophie Jarry, her passion for live music and her love of photographic documentation is clearly evident in her work, each moment and expression is perfectly captured and made to last. Each image takes the viewer on a journey of today’s music scene and shows Jarry’s steadfast dedication to artistic expression. Originally what started as just a hobby but since being inspired by photojournalist, Henri Cartier-Bresson ten years ago, Sophie Jarry has never put her camera down since…and she’s certainly got some amazing snaps to show for it!
In the main room though, was the exhibition I was the most excited to see, Being Blondie – Debbie Harry by Brian Aris. Celebrating thirty-five years of Blondie, the celebrated photographer Brian Aris has managed to capture the punk rock chic’s stage persona of cool sexuality beautifully. Favourite portraits include, Debbie Harry sat in her Greenwich garden in New York…her iconic bleach blonde hair is gone and replaced with a strawberry blond shade, the naturalness and lighting in this photo are what makes this picture and the 80s fashion show image shot in Brian Aris’ studio…it’s all about those power-dressing shoulder pads! It’s not surprising that Aris’ photographs helped cement Harry’s international iconic status, leading to her reputation as new wave’s answer to Marilyn Monroe. Like Marilyn, Debbie’s appeal is as strong today as it ever was and these never before seen images from Brian Aris’ unrivalled archive certainly don’t disappoint.
Rock ‘N’ Roll Animals is on till 21st of March and Being Blondie-Debbie Harry by Brian Aris is on till the 21st of February. Both exhibitions are free as well, so if you’re an aficionado of photography and music it would be a crime not to go!
By Beatrix Zwart