Last year, IKEA brought on Annie Leibovitz as an “artist in residence” and gave her the task to better visually represent how media presents the reality of life at home. Two photos have been released as a sneak peek, and the full series will be unveiled on February 29 in France.
Leibovitz spent 2023 traveling to Japan, the United States, Germany, Italy, India, Sweden, and England to photograph people in their homes and create a series of 25 portraits that would be designed to show what a “real” home life looks like around the world. IKEA tasked her with this project because it says that 48% of people do not feel like the reality of their lives at home is authentically represented by what is seen in the media (per its own 2022 Home Report).
“The home has always been important in my work,” Leibovitz said last year. “I’ve been photographing people in their homes since I began. It’s a way to understand who a person is. The advice I give to young photographers is to photograph their families. It’s one of the best ways to start.”
The fruits of her year-long labor will be showcased from February 29 through March 3 in an exhibition that will take over 28 Rue de Lappe in Paris. Called IKEA+, the event takes place during Paris Fashion Week and in addition to showcasing Leibovitz’s work, the company says it will combine “world-known artists with local pioneers in music, art, design, and life at home.”
Ahead of the full 25 photo exhibition, IKEA shared two of Leibovitz’s photos: one from Japan (above) and the other from Germany (below).
Also on display at IKEA+ will be the work of the six “up and coming photographers” who trained under Annie Leibovitz during the IKEA mentorship program the company announced last November.
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While preparing this story, PetaPixel noticed that full EXIF data was still intact on the photos it was sent from IKEA and saw that Leibovitz broke with photographic norms and expectations of her work in the creation of these images. For starters, Leibovitz is known for using prime lenses but for these two images, chose zooms. But beyond that, she also not only used different cameras for each photo, she used wholly different sensor formats and manufacturers.
Her photo from Japan was shot using a Fujifilm GFX 100 II through a GF32-64mm F4 R LM WR at 41.8mm. In contrast, her photo from Germany was shot on a Sony Alpha 1 through a 16-35mm f/2.8 GM (the original, not the new one announced last year) at 30mm.
The EXIF data also shows that both photos were shot in November: she was in Japan on November 5 and in Germany just four days later on November 9.
Image credits: Photographs by Annie Leibovitz and provided by IKEA