Casual AIDS charity portraits capture iconic ex-supermodel
Lauren Hutton, Victoria's Secret model Heidi Klum, "Super Girl" Li
Yuchun and actress Maggie Cheung.
In a true movement of solidarity, some of the world's most
beautiful women have join forces to participate in "Simply I," a
charity photo exhibition created to support AIDS-related charities
and raise awareness of the global epidemic.
More than 100 top models, celebrities and actresses from around
the world went to the studio of French photographer Gilles Marie
Zimmerman in casual clothes. Most of them wore T-shirts and jeans
and some didn't even wear makeup. They include supermodels Lauren
Hutton and Heidi Klum and actresses Maggie Cheung and Milla
Jovovich.
In a rare showcase of these amazing women, 80 striking black and
white portraits by Zimmerman are on display at LOFT, a new creative
fashion/art/lifestyle center in the heart of the city.
Among the original prints created specially for the Shanghai
exhibition we find portraits of celebrities from Chinese
mainland,?such as, top model Du Juan, "Super Girl" Li Yuchun
and actresses Zhou Xun, Li Xiaoran and Fan Bingbing. Both actress
Cheung and model Klum were captured mop-topped, cool and
unruffled.
Taiwanese actress Shu Qi gazes at the camera in her signature
sexy way, her hands casually in her pockets; Shanghai native Du
looks at the camera quietly, her mouth slightly opened as if she
wanted to say something. And Australian supermodel Gemma Ward isn't
afraid to reveal the freckles on her nose and the beams in her
eyes.
"The more real, the better," explains Zimmerman when asked about
his idea of the project. "I hope my pictures showcase the different
beauty of these women of different ages and cultural
backgrounds."
The 47-year-old doesn't have a favorite, he calls every one of
them a dear friend. Surprisingly, he says, none of these
celebrities was late for the shooting - not even by five minutes
because "they all know they are doing something for the
charity."
The one-month exhibition is free - but visitors are required to
make a donation at the door. The exhibit supports the United
Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and its joint programs with the
Chinese government on pediatric AIDS prevention and education.
All proceeds from the exhibition, a future Paris auction and
pledges from both individuals and corporations will be donated to
UNICEF.
The "Simply I" exhibition was firstly presented in Paris in
March to benefit the French AIDS charity organization "Sidaction."
After the Shanghai exhibition, all the photos will shipped back to
Paris for auction.
(Shanghai Daily December 10, 2007)