Daniele Tamagni: Style Is Life
First comprehensive retrospective of the Italian photo artist Daniele Tamagni.
Collecting Daniele Tamagni’s images of the Congolese sapeurs, Botswana’s afrometals, Bolivian female wrestlers, young dance crews of Johannesburg and more, Style Is Life brings together renowned and unpublished photographs that remind us of the subversive and political value of fashion.
Daniele Tamagni was an internationally acclaimed photographer whose groundbreaking work seamlessly blended photojournalism, street photography, and fashion into a unique and recognizable style. His innovative lens documented street fashion trends, revealing their political and sometimes subversive significance. Through his images, Tamagni captured the pride and joy of urban communities for whom “style is life,” transforming clothing into powerful statements of identity.
“Daniele embarked on a mission to showcase the rich diversity and untold stories of the African continent. To him, art was about conveying personal truths. He focused deliberately on individuals at the margins of society, those who defy norms and prioritize self-expression over external validation, paving the way for their unique journeys. His chosen narratives were deeply aligned with his heart and life path,” emphasizes project co-curator Aïda Muluneh.
The newly released book features 150 striking images, including the Congolese sapeurs of the SAPE (Society of Ambiance-Makers and Elegant People), also known as the “dandies” of Bacongo, a neighborhood in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. Tamagni’s photographs highlight the vibrant styles and colors of their attire, capturing the intricate details of accessories like sunglasses, watches, and hats, and exuding a sense of joy and sophistication. Since the movement’s inception in the early 20th century, sapeurs have reinterpreted the styles of French colonizers, using performance, luxury, and refinement as tools of cultural resistance. “Daniele masterfully balanced invisibility and direction in capturing the sapeurs’ performances, creating timeless images where life and art converge,” recalls Michael Hoppen, whose renowned London gallery was instrumental in introducing Tamagni’s work to collectors worldwide. Esteemed British designer Paul Smith drew inspiration from Tamagni’s book “Gentlemen of Bacongo” (published in 2009 by Trolley Books) for his Spring-Summer 2010 collection, solidifying Tamagni’s influence in the fashion world.
The book also explores Botswana’s metalheads in a 2012 project documenting the afrometal movement at its zenith. As a guest of a heavy metal group founded by the grandchildren of an Italian psychologist who established the country’s main mental hospital, Tamagni captured the artists’ daily lives. His keen eye for style, accessories, and instruments, combined with a masterful use of light and contrast, transports viewers to an imagined “African dark,” momentarily shifting away from the vibrant hues of the sapeurs.
The vivid tapestry of colorful fabrics returns in Tamagni’s project on Bolivian female wrestlers, a series awarded by World Press Photo. The Bolivian cholitas, distinguished by their traditional skirts, challenge conventional gender roles and advocate for social and political female empowerment through wrestling.
Tamagni’s street photography also features the young urban crews of Johannesburg, originating from a politically repressive environment where fashion offers a form of identity and belonging in a reimagined, free society. His 2012 “Joburg Style Battles” photographs initiate photographic conversations and collaborative art exercises, portraying a dynamic scene between style and performance, populated by dance crews like the Vintage and subcultures like the Smarteez. Tamagni skillfully documented this mosaic of stories, styles, and people, where fashion becomes a medium to express and celebrate hard-earned freedom.
Chiara Bardelli Nonino, co-curator of the project, notes, “Daniele was drawn to fashion from the start, but in a way that was ahead of his time. He sought to understand and photograph style, capturing the moment when personal taste transforms into a message for others. His research always began with people; he wanted to know his subjects, form friendships, and discover the motivations behind their fashion choices.”
Through each image, Tamagni’s perspective shines brightly. His extensive knowledge of art, passion for fashion and subcultures, and dedication to celebrating social evolution are evident in his documentation of new generational identities in Africa and Latin America. His work captures the birth of local identities within a globalized and interconnected world.
Daniele Tamagni’s photography remains a testament to his talent and vision, showcasing the beauty and diversity of global street fashion and the power of clothing as a form of self-expression and cultural resistance.
About the Author
Daniele Tamagni, born in Milan (1975-2017), had an academic background in Cultural Heritage with a Master’s degree in Art History from the Catholic University of Milan. His shift towards photography came later; he elevated his passion to a profession in 2007 after receiving the Canon Young Photographer Award, followed by the ICP Infinity Award in 2010 and the World Press Photo Award in 2011. As evidenced by his numerous accolades and publications, he quickly became a prominent photographer, leveraging his extensive knowledge of art, passion for style and fashion, love for Africa and its diaspora, and his evident inspirational ability to become a reference point for generations of creative minds worldwide. The battle against leukemia marked the last four years of his life. In 2009, he published “Gentlemen of Bacongo” with Trolley Books (London) and Seigensha (Tokyo). Fashion designer Paul Smith, who wrote the book’s preface, drew inspiration from Tamagni’s photographs for his Spring-Summer 2010 collection, creating a suit influenced by the famous pink outfit of sapeur Willy Covary, worn by Jeneil Williams for the Ready-to-Wear collection show. In 2010, he traveled to Bolivia to the Andean village of Kami for an assignment with Terna and to La Paz for a project on female wrestlers, “The Flying Cholitas,” which won the World Press Photo Award in the Arts & Entertainment category in 2011. Between 2011 and 2013, Tamagni explored other trends in street style and the aesthetics of transformation in various contexts (South Africa, Senegal, Cuba, Myanmar, Botswana), resulting in the book “Global Style Battles,” published by Editions la Découverte in Paris and Abrams in New York in 2015, and later in Japan by Seigensha. In 2012, he photographed Solange Knowles for the video “Losing You,” inspired by the book “Gentlemen of Bacongo.” He shot the cover for “Rolling Stone SA” featuring singers Nakhane Toure and Tinie Tempah. The OneSight Luxottica foundation published his reportage “Passage to Rajasthan,” and in 2013 Ecopneus published a book on the green economy with his reportage. During a brief remission of his illness, he managed to take photographs for “Mtindo,” a project documenting a new generation of African creative leaders. Today, his images are published in numerous books, magazines, and academic journals worldwide. Since 2010, he has participated in exhibitions at institutions such as LACMA in Los Angeles, MoMA in New York, the Vitra Museum in Germany, the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago, the Brighton Royal Pavilion and Museums, MART in Rovereto, the Museo de la Ciudad in Lisbon, the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris, the Lentos Kunstmuseum in Austria, the Prins Claus in Amsterdam, the Knokke Photo Festival in Belgium, and the Circulo de Bellas Artes in Madrid. His art prints have been acquired and preserved in the collections of LACMA in Los Angeles, MOCP in Chicago, the Houston Fine Art Museum, the Brighton Royal Pavilion, and the Schwules Museum in Hamburg.
