Brad Walls presents an evocative exhibition in New York
Brad Walls’ PASSÉ manifests as a refined meditation on performance, intimacy, and perception, transforming the visual language of ballet through elevated aerial photography. Staged within a monochromatic red environment in New York City, the exhibition creates an atmosphere where viewers are physically placed inside the scene of its creation.
Life-sized photographic prints are positioned at eye level, compelling an unmediated dialogue between observer and dancer. This direct engagement collapses the traditional distance between performer and audience, transforming static images into lived experience.
Known for his minimalist aerial compositions, Brad Walls dedicated three years to bringing PASSÉ to life. The production ranks among the most technically ambitious ballet photoshoots ever attempted, involving sixty dancers, a ten-person crew, and a single eight-hour session.
A football field–sized red carpet was laid across a warehouse floor, while a suspended light bounce ensured consistent, diffused illumination. Above, a custom crane rig stabilized the camera to deliver perfectly framed overhead shots. Every element was meticulously storyboarded, resulting in eight realized compositions from more than twenty planned sequences.
The project’s choreography, crafted with Ian Schwaner, is rooted in classical discipline yet informed by architectural precision. Movement sequences were designed to function as living graphic compositions when viewed from above.
Brad Walls enlisted dancers from New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet School, and Ballet East, uniting some of the country’s most accomplished performers. Their combined artistry imbues each frame with depth, grace, and an energy that feels alive even in stillness.
Visitors to PASSÉ are guided across the same red carpet used during the shoot, a gesture that blurs the boundary between creation and exhibition. Each attendee receives a handwritten postcard from a featured ballerina—only 150 are available daily—connecting audience and performer in a personal, tactile way.
This intimate exchange reinforces the project’s emotional core: the transformation of observation into presence and stillness into something deeply felt.
The origins of PASSÉ lie in a moment of quiet vulnerability. During an earlier ballet shoot in 2021, a group of young triplets approached ballerina Montana Rubin, visibly moved by her performance.
For Brad Walls, this experience illuminated ballet’s profound human dimension beyond its technical precision. PASSÉ honors that realization, positioning audiences not just as viewers but as participants in a shared emotional landscape.
Exhibition details – 347 Broome Street, New York City • September 12-14 • 10am-6pm
Images courtesy of Brad Walls, shared with permission
