David Shama (Born February 3, 1977) is a Swiss photographer living in New York City. He is most known for his art and fashion work. David began taking photographs in 2005 and quickly gained recognition with his documentary style and narrative cinematic portraiture.
Exhibitions
— Do Not Feed Alligators November 17–19, 2017 — Group Show at Photo München 17, Munich, Germany— Do Not Feed Alligator April 2017— Solo Show at 72and Sunny, Los Angeles, USA
— Supernatural January 2017— Group Show at Con Artist, New York , USA
— Kill or be killed November 2016— Group Show at Con Artist, New York, USA
— Poesis October - November 2016— Exhibition collaboration with artist Anthony Bannwart, Club 44 in La-Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland
— Poesis June 2016 — Exhibition collaboration with artist Anthony
Bannwart, Galerie des Editions du Griffon in Neuchâtel, Switzerland
— Poesis February 2016 — Exhibition collaboration with artist Anthony Bannwart, Laurent Marthaler Contemporary in Montreux, Switzerland
— Helmut Newton September 2013— Group Show at Annenberg Space for Photography, Los Angeles, USA
Bannwart, Galerie des Editions du Griffon in Neuchâtel, Switzerland
— Poesis February 2016 — Exhibition collaboration with artist Anthony Bannwart, Laurent Marthaler Contemporary in Montreux, Switzerland
— Helmut Newton September 2013— Group Show at Annenberg Space for Photography, Los Angeles, USA
Bruna Volpi — Dazed
"David Shama likes grain, dirt, old stuff and eating outside when it’s warm. Curiously enough, you can see this naturalist approach in his work, emanating the heat of sunlight and projecting the relaxed gracefulness of old school heroines on the girls of today. Born in Lausanne, Switzerland, Shama spent a few years in Argentina before moving to Paris (as of 2014 New York), where he currently lives and works. (...) His adventurous, impulse-driven character shows in a body of work that is clear, easy, spontaneous and effective in its storytelling, translating into the relatable emotional charge of the people he photographs."My work is all about story telling, I believe that pictures don't have to be obviously narrative to convey a story, sometimes the simplest portrait can tell more then a very constructed scenario. I'm trying to convey something that can tickle someone else’s imagination"
From architectural landscapes to rural Wisconsin, greasy diner fries, deserted roads and candid yet curated portraits and editorials, Shama seduces the viewer with the frank simplicity of his visual language and the unpretentious nature of the quotidian. He talks about his wandering mind and the endless search for that magical spark. "
From architectural landscapes to rural Wisconsin, greasy diner fries, deserted roads and candid yet curated portraits and editorials, Shama seduces the viewer with the frank simplicity of his visual language and the unpretentious nature of the quotidian. He talks about his wandering mind and the endless search for that magical spark. "
John-Paul Pryor — TOPMAN
"The Swiss-Born Photographer On His Search For The Truth And The Fast-Diminishing Line Between Fashion And Art. David Shama is a man who is clearly fascinated by the natural: the natural world, the natural beauty, the natural expression. A doctor-turned-photographer, there is a clinical precision and anthropomorphic dedication to his organic, grainy pictures, which both glamourise and reveal the grit of anything from sylphlike young models, to greasy baskets of diner French fries. Raised in Switzerland, Shama now lives and works in Paris (as of 2014, New York), though much of his work is characterised by the intimacy and spontaneity of travel photography.Unsurprising, since for each shoot Shama disappeared to far-flung stretches of the globe with carefully selected models, in order to capture them relaxed, un-posed and off-guard; ultimately natural and surrounded by nature. Each shoot, therefore, tells a natural story, and photos of rural and urban environments accompany and complement the corporeal pictures his luminescent travelling companions. Here he tells us about his personal fascination with the authentic world, the importance of building a personal relationship with your subjects, and his unconventional personal style."