Rihanna, RZA, Virgil: PLACES+FACES' Unseen Photos of Culture's Finest (EXCLUSIVE)
In my short email correspondence with the duo behind PLACES+FACES, Imran Ciesay and Solomon Boyede (better known as Soulz), they talk about photographing A-listers as casually as you and I would about bumping into an old friend.
“We went to Yams Day in 2019, hung out backstage with the A$AP crew, and Rihanna pops out and we just start shooting her,” reads one message from the duo. Oh yeah, Rihanna casually pops her head out. Got it.
And the duo has countless similar stories. In the 12 years since starting PLACES+FACES as a humble Tumblr blog, they have photographed a huge roster of noteworthy names. But, they have never put their photos up for sale — until now.
Together with Sotheby’s, PLACES+FACES is hosting an exhibition including several photographs never before seen by the public. The exhibition charts their travels (across places like Jakarta, Bangkok, Cuba, and Cairo) as well as the famous faces they've seen along the way.
The images include the last-ever portrait of the late Virgil Abloh, one of Unknown T’s first trips exploring his Ugandan heritage, and a rare polaroid of Quentin Tarantino, taken during a chance encounter at a party and the only time Ciesay says he has ever fanboyed over a celebrity:
“He’s one of my favorite directors and I needed to get a photo of him by any means,” says Ciesay. “I walked up to him and asked if I could snap his photo. At first, he was hesitant, and I kindly asked again. I snapped this one photo of him on Polaroid. I then left the party straight away, peeled off the film and it came out perfect.”
Capturing an image of Tarantino was a bucket list moment and after a decade-plus of shooting high-profile faces, the duo behind PLACES+FACES hasn’t got many more of those left: “It feels like we’ve shot everyone that we’re a fan of currently, but I guess Bill Murray or Denzel Washington [are people we’re still yet to shoot],” says Soulz and Ciesay.
Looking through their archive, it’s no surprise they’re running out of noteworthy people to capture: Frank Ocean, A$AP Rocky, Rihanna, RZA, Taylor Russell, NIGO, Tyler, the Creator, Skepta, Lil Yachty… PLACES+FACES has photographed them all.
“We’ve been fortunate to have access to some of the most creative people in the world,” says Soulz. “This show is a tribute to those moments, those connections, and the culture we’ve been lucky enough to be a part of.”
Open from 26 February to 4 March, their latest exhibition will be at Sotheby’s London location on New Bond Street.
All the works on exhibition will be available for immediate purchase. As will a new book, PLACES+FACES, published by IDEA, available exclusively at Sotheby’s before it officially debuts at Dover Street Market, and limited-edition merch by PLACES+FACES.
Alongside the exhibition, PLACES+FACES has taken over Sotheby’s Story Café plus Ciesay and Soulz will host a Sotheby’s Late event on February 27, performing a DJ set ahead of their upcoming appearance at Coachella.
As well as being a retrospective of their work so far, this exhibition displays just how multi-faceted the Ciesay and Soulz are. While their practice has always been rooted in photography, PLACES+FACES has grown to become a popular streetwear label and is known to throw parties worldwide.
A new exhibition, a party, a Café takeover, and exclusive merch… Once again, PLACES+FACES is doing everything at once.
