LaChapelle will headline the month-long event with retrospective of over 90 works, nationally exclusive to the festival. This will be the first time LaChapelle will present an exhibition in Australia.

The Art Gallery of Ballarat will host the LaChappelle show in what should be a significant point of attraction for the seventh incarnation of the Biennale. 

“David LaChapelle is provocative, at times irreverent, and emblematic of what the biennale aspires to be. We believe this exhibition will enhance our reputation as a world-class event and bring new audiences to our beautiful town of Ballarat,” said Biennale creative director Fiona Sweet.

This will be LaChapelle’s first solo exhibition in the country and the  BIFB will be the only Australian presenter of the exhibition.

LaChappelle’s work is at once sensuous and playful. Making his start as a fashion photographer, his pictures were recognised as strikingly different by the artist Andy Warhol, who commissioned him to take portraits for his magazine Interview. 

As an art photographer, he draws inspiration from sources as varied as the classical artist Caravaggio to street art and building photography. His hyper-realistic images are inspired by everything from social issues and political climates, to street culture and art history.

LaChapelle’s career spans more than 30 years. He’s photographed some of the most famous faces in the world including Michael Jackson, Madonna, Eminem, Andy Warhol, Elizabeth Taylor, Kanye West and Lady Gaga. His work is part of the public collections of institutions such as the National Portrait Gallery in London, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.

Ballarat International Foto Biennale is a month-long celebration of the world of photography. It runs from August 19 to September 17, 2017.