Dana Lixenberg – Polaroid 54/59/79

Original Polaroids

Seven years after the successful exhibition Imperial Courts, Dana Lixenberg returns to Huis Marseille! On the occasion of the publication of her book Polaroid 54/59/79 Huis Marseille is showing a large number of her original Polaroids. Material never previously shown offers a glimpse into the work process of one of the most renowned photographers in the Netherlands. A portrait of American culture, in the period 1993 – 2010, at the height of analogue photography in printed media, and an ode to the Polaroid.

Personal projects

In May 2022, Dana Lixenberg (1964, Amsterdam) returns to Huis Marseille, where in 2015 she received much praise for her exhibition Imperial Courts, 1993-2015. Her new exhibition, Polaroid 54/59/79, is based on the eponymous publication, in which Lixenberg’s hundreds of Polaroids offer an insight into her photo shoots for prominent magazines and personal projects in the United States from 1993 until 2010.

Awareness

The collection of Polaroids reflects the American culture Lixenberg encountered in the 1990s and 2000s. The images make us aware of the passing of time, since our view of some of the public figures in the photos is inextricably coloured by our knowledge of the course of their later lives. For instance, Lixenberg photographed an album cover for Whitney Houston, who died in 2012; and a then-young Donald Trump in 1998 for New York Magazine.

United States

With hundreds of photos the exhibition Polaroid 54/59/79 presents a portrait of the United States between 1993 and 2010; an ode to the Polaroid film; and an intimate glimpse into the work process of one of the most renowned photographers in the Netherlands.