Davide Sorrenti

Davide Sorrenti (July 9, 1976 – February 4, 1997) was an Italian-American photographer, born into the prominent fashion photography Sorrenti family. He is best remembered for his involvement in the rise and fall of the Heroin chic fashion trend of the 1990s.[1][2][3][4]

Davide Sorrenti
Born(1976-07-09)July 9, 1976
Naples, Italy
DiedFebruary 4, 1997(1997-02-04) (aged 20)
Occupation[ photographer]]
Years active1995-1997
RelativesMario Sorrenti (brother)

Early life

Davide Sorrenti was born 1976 in Naples, Italy, in a family of talented photographers (unofficially they have become known as the Corleones of fashion photography[5]

The Sorrentis moved to New York in January 1982, partly because Davide Sorrenti had thalassemia (or Cooley's anemia, a hereditary form of anemia), and needed regular blood transfusions and medical care. The disease made him look several years younger than his real age.[5] His brother Mario documented his sufferings one of many nights, published in the book The machine,[6] referring to the drug infusion pump that Davide was hooked up to.[7]

Sorrenti attended Bayard Rustin High School for the Humanities, with fellow skateboarders and graffiti artists. Davide's tag was Argueske with whom he formed a rap group called the Mosaics, because of their wide mix of ethnicities; he also started the streetwear label Danücht.[8]

Career

Sorrenti has shot for magazines such aa Interview, Ray Gun, i-D, Detour, Independent, Surface and Dune.[9] He shot for fashion brands such as Hugo Boss, Bergdorf Goodman, Supreme, Hysteric Glamour and Zoo York.[10] He also worked with KAWS, Kate Moss, Milla Jovovich, Jaime King.[11]

In a series of snapshots published in Interview 1996, Sorrenti's friends from SKE (Some Kids Envy) are portrayed hanging out in a run-down apartment, watching TV and using drugs.

One of Sorrenti's photos shows a young model lying on a bed, with torn clothes surrounded with photos of Kurt Cobain, Sid Vicious, and Jerry Garcia of Grateful Dead.[12]

Sorrenti founded the fashion brand DANUCHT, which is best known for its anti-commercial "MODELS SUCK" t-shirt famously worn by English model Naomi Campbell in the 1996 film Girl 6.[13][14][15]

Death and aftermath

On February 4, 1997, Davide died, possibly because he had not received a blood transfusion in the last few weeks and was exhausted from a long trip to Mexico, yes, there were drugs in his system, but they were not lethal. He died peacefully in his sleep [16].[17]

As a reaction to her son's death, Francesca Sorrenti started a campaign against the glamourization of drug addiction and underage models, demanding magazine editors to take responsibility. Francesca was more upset with the fact that the models were starting to get addicted to drugs, and no one was saying anything [18] “Heroin chic isn't what we're projecting. It's what we are. Our business has become heroin chic. Someone taking pictures of that magnitude has to have experienced hard drugs”, Ms. Sorrenti stated in The New York Times.[5]

Revival

In November 2018 filmmaker Charles Curran released a documentary film called See Know Evil on the life, work and death of Davide Sorrenti.[19] "[The] film is partly about telling the story of his life, partly about trying to present a balanced reappraisal of his work."[20] Davide's work is intertwined with his friends and youthful exploits.[21] In November 2019 Francesca Sorrenti, David's mother, released Davide Sorrenti ArgueSKE 1994–1997, a retrospective of his work.[22]

References
  1. Helmore, Edward (2019-05-23). "'Heroin chic' and the tangled legacy of photographer Davide Sorrenti". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  2. Spindler, Amy M. (1997-05-20). "A Death Tarnishes Fashion's 'Heroin Look'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  3. Dazed (2021-11-25). "'My life sucks, my life is beautiful': reframing Davide Sorrenti's legacy". Dazed. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  4. Chodha, Dal. "Davide Sorrenti's fashion photography remains beautiful but misunderstood". i-d.vice.com. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  5. Spindler, Amy M. (20 May 1997). "A Death Tarnishes Fashion's 'Heroin Look'". The New York Times.
  6. Sorrenti, Mario; The Machine; Steidl Verlag, Göttingen 2001; ISBN 3-88243-793-6ISBN 978-3-88243-793-5
  7. Sorrenti, Mario (2001). The Machine. ISBN 3882437936.
  8. "Caution: These Kids Are About to Blow up - Nymag".
  9. Chodha, Dal. "Davide Sorrenti's fashion photography remains beautiful but misunderstood". i-d.vice.com. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  10. "Motion Capture". www.bookforum.com. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  11. "Hero on Heroin: Life and Death of Davide Sorrenti". Bird In Flight. 2020-05-18. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  12. "YEN - Australia's #1 independent magazine for women". www.yenmag.net. Archived from the original on 2008-02-29.
  13. pygear (2022-11-26). "Models SUCK Naomi Campbell Tee Shirt". PYGear.com. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  14. "danücht". danucht.com. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  15. Chodha, Dal. "Davide Sorrenti's fashion photography remains beautiful but misunderstood". i-d.vice.com. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  16. "Davide Sorrenti's Mother Reflects on Her Late Son, Whose Photography She's Anthologized in a New Book". Vogue. 2019-11-05. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
  17. White, Constance C. R. (25 February 1997). "Patterns". The New York Times.
  18. Helmore, Edward (24 May 2019). "'Heroin chic' and the tangled legacy of photographer Davide Sorrenti". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  19. See Know Evil at IMDb
  20. Jenny Kermode in her review on eyeforfilm.co.uk
  21. Cf. Gallery with 12 photographies by Sorrenti on occasion of Davide Sorrenti ArgueSKE 1994–1997 on Anothermag.com
  22. Interview with Francesca Sorrenti on the project on Vogue.it
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