DSCENE had the privilege of attending an exclusive New York Fashion Week preview of Joy, in 3 Parts, a new global exhibition curated by Kathy Ryan and presented by Apple. The show brings together original photography by Inez & Vinoodh, Mickalene Thomas, and Trunk Xu, all captured with the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Opening this week in New York and Shanghai, with a private presentation in London, the exhibition explores the theme of joy through three distinct artistic voices.
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Each of the participating artists approached the prompt of joy with their own visual language. For Inez & Vinoodh, joy became an ode to love. Their central triptych, Think Love, reimagines Gustav Klimt’s iconic The Kiss, layering the ecstasy of romantic connection with an urgent environmental backdrop. For Mickalene Thomas, the project serves as a reclamation of rest and softness as radical acts, envisioning joy as the right to simply be. Her works unfold like a visual archive of Black life at ease, inviting viewers into a space of grounded beauty and quiet power. Meanwhile, Trunk Xu turned his lens to the shifting nature of contemporary photography itself. Drawing on his roots in street photography, Xu captured a new dynamic of shared awareness, where subjects are ready to be seen, reflecting joy as the defining presence of our time.
The show also serves as a striking demonstration of the iPhone’s role in shaping contemporary image-making. All three artists already integrate iPhone photography into their professional practices, and this commission offered early access to the iPhone 17 Pro Max. With its three 48MP Fusion cameras, new 4x and 8x Telephoto options, and pro-level video capabilities, the device gave each artist freedom to explore immediacy and intimacy without sacrificing quality. Apple’s intent was to offer space for personal creation outside of commercial work, and in doing so, placed iPhone firmly in the context of fine art.
Curated by Kathy Ryan, former director of photography at The New York Times Magazine, the exhibition continues her commitment to visual storytelling that bridges art and journalism. Ryan’s prompt was simple: one word, joy. Yet the results unfold as a layered meditation on connection, freedom, and the everyday radiance of human experience.
Joy, in 3 Parts will be open to the public in New York from Friday through Sunday at 456 West 18th Street, and simultaneously in Shanghai, with a private presentation in London. For Apple, the project is both a celebration of technological progress and a reminder that the true measure of a camera lies in the stories it enables.
