Angels With Dirty Faces: Inside Jordan Hemingway's New Exhibition
by Bea IsaacsonJan 27, 2026
Few contemporary artists have navigated the straddle between effortlessly cool and genuinely visionary as seamlessly as Jordan Hemingway. So it comes as a delight – but not necessarily a surprise – that the multidisciplinary artist is the subject of Acne Paper Palais Royal’s first exhibition of 2026.
The exhibition, titled Angels With Dirty Faces, is a collection of new work by the American-born, London-based artist. Centered on Hemingway’s distinctive photography, both the exhibit and the presentation stand as a confident, assertive, if not even fearless, reaction to today’s vociferous world.“These are creatures of culture, drunk on lust and freedom,” Hemingway said on his collection. “With clenched fists and sleepless eyes, they are completely full of life. Birthed from the darkness, collectively they show the dichotomies in all of us: strength and resistance, vulnerability and beauty. I think of them as angels, each with a secret of their own.”
The dramatic portraits — in which subjects include Marina Abramović, Yves Tumor, Mariacarla Boscono and Lewis G. Burton for Matières Fécales — oscillate between great beauty and explicit macabre. Predominantly black and white, in classic Hemingway style, color is used sparingly, for the purpose of further enhancing the dramatic human stories being relayed. It is a theatrical lens applied to rituals experienced through the body, showing the contrasts within our own humanity and spirituality, invoking the legacies of Andy Warhol and Joel-Peter Witkin.
Angels With Dirty Faces marks both Hemingway’s first public exhibition in Paris in five years, and his first solo exhibition in the French capital. The artist is no stranger to the fashion world, with his work a regular appearance in leading publications around the world and for clients including Chanel, Comme des Garçons, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, Mugler and – of course – Acne Studios.
Hemingway is also a seasoned filmmaker. His creative collaborations with musician FKA Twigs have further cemented his reputation as one of the most interesting artists of his generation, brilliantly blurring the lines between high end commercial and his singular vision for aesthetic. Entirely self-taught – Hemingway’s artistic journey started with picking up a camera when recovering from a skateboarding injury – there is a rawness to his work that only sharpens his innate, distinctive style.
Jordan Hemingway: Angels With Dirty Faces runs from 22 January to 15 March 2026 at Acne Paper Palais Royal.
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