Sonia Sieff: a free diamond exhibition in Paris

From November 22 to 24, 2024, French photographer Sonia Sieff will be exhibiting her work free of charge at Galerie La Cité, rue Réaumur, Paris. The exhibition, entitled Big Bang, is a collaboration with the Natural Diamond Council.

Sonia was trained by her father, Jean-Loup Sieff, the photographer behind Yves Saint-Laurent’s nudes. She received her first camera at the age of sixteen. She began her career in film and fashion. Sonia came to prominence in 2017 with the publication of Les Françaises. A collection of unretouched photos of the women in her life. In 2024, she signed a new book, Rendez-vous, in which she photographed one hundred and seventy-six nude men she met across Europe. This artistic approach also extends to the 100 pour Le Monde project. Here, she immortalizes one hundred personalities involved in the Me Too movement in France, to denounce violence against women.

For this Paris exhibition, Sonia Sieff turns her lens on the diamond, a stone that fascinates. She explores it from every angle, revealing little-known facets. In collaboration with the Natural Diamond Council, she captures the multiple symbolism of this stone, likening it to a contemplative, timeless journey. Through her images, she links the journey of this precious stone to the themes of the creation of the universe and transformation over time.

Sieff adopts a very personal approach, evoking the idea of raw, organic beauty. She explains: “These raw, unpolished stones possess a beauty that surpasses perfection. They recall a miniature universe, a dance between light and shadow, brilliance and darkness. The light reflected in them evokes the human body, with its secrets revealed by intimate attention.”

Indeed, through this project, Sieff and the Natural Diamond Council invite the public to rediscover diamonds in a different light: not only as a symbol of luxury, but also as a reflection of the natural forces and transformations that have shaped them.

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