Sam Taylor-Johnson: She Was I

She Was I traces Sam Taylor-Johnson's psychologically rich explorations of the self through portraiture in her photography and film work. The selection begins with her early black and white photographs taken in London in the 1990s when she was a student. Then, more than a decade later, the artist returned to self-portraiture with images of herself suspended in her London studio, her body appearing weightless, seemingly held aloft by balloons. In Wired, shot in 2020 in Joshua Tree, Taylor-Johnson now reveals and makes integral to the composition the fragile support mechanisms that elevate her body above the ground in the California desert. Taylor-Johnson's powerful new series Self Portrait in Dark Water, in which she relies on water to hold her body in otherworldly suspension, will be presented to US audiences for the first time.

The exhibition will also feature a selection of works from the series Crying Men. Created between 2002-2004, Taylor-Johnson invited leading male actors to appear before her camera, sat in a moment of intimate reflection, their vulnerability exposed through the act of crying. In parallel to these recognizable individuals, the portraits of the artist's family and friends captured in the most familial of private settings, possess a semi-autobiographical quality.

Sam Taylor-Johnson: The Self and the Portrait (Rizzoli, October 6, 2026) is the first comprehensive monograph on the artist, including new writing by Sam Taylor-Johnson alongside texts contributed by Lynsey Addario-award-winning photojournalist and New York Times bestselling author of It's What I Do-and Tracey Emin, the acclaimed British artist whose work has been exhibited internationally, including at Tate Modern, London; the Musée d'Orsay, Paris; and the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam.

Sam Taylor-Johnson: The Self and the Portrait draws imagery from the artist's extensive archive. The 224-page volume captures the evolution of her vision from early floating self-portraits through to the quiet intensity of Crying Men and the behind-the-scenes imagery of her cinematic work. Signed copies will be available to purchase at the gallery.