Moody, sensual, brooding works depicting artists by the likes of Marina Abramović, Yves Tumor, Lewis G. Burton, and Mariacarla Boscono in a way you’ve never seen them before ornament the walls at Acne Paper Palais Royal. Set in the Swedish brand’s Parisian gallery, photographer and director Jordan Hemingway’s solo exhibition, Angels with Dirty Faces, marks its first show of the year, on display from 22 January to 15 March, 2026.
In an effort to purge the human soul and express it through his camera, Hemingway emphasises the dualities we all hold within ourselves; light and dark, masculine and feminine, strength and vulnerability. Without contrast, we are two-dimensional beings with a monotonous, dull existence. Speaking of the exhibition, the artist says: “These are creatures of culture, drunk on lust and freedom. With clenched fists and sleepless eyes, they are completely full of life. Birthed from the darkness, collectively they show the dichotomies in all of us: strength and resistance, vulnerability and beauty. I think of them as angels, each with a secret of their own.”
Hemingway’s oeuvre spans from capturing editorial looks, to experimental portraits, to video direction. One of his most notable collaborators is FKA Twigs, for whom he has directed music videos, photo campaigns, and cover shoots. American-born and now London-based, he got his start in photography through skateboarding. Capturing photos of his friends whizzing past him, he taught himself and developed his technique.
In Angels with Dirty Faces, a title that already hints at the stark contrast he seeks after in this new black-and-white series, he plays with the concept of beauty and turns it into something that can be both pleasing and uncomfortable. Transporting you into an apocalyptic warehouse or putting you face to face with a demonic angel, Hemingway’s images pierce your eyes and grip your soul unlike any others.
The exhibition Angels with Dirty Faces by Jordan Hemingway is on view through March 15, 2026, at Acne Paper Palais Royal, 124 Galerie de Valois, Paris.
