Landscapes of every corner of the world, portraits of music legends, views of nature with the signs of man’s disfigurement, dawn and sunsets, shots of Charlene of Monaco on the day of his wedding with Prince Alberto di Monaco: and then The photo of a white feather. The link between Julian Lennon and his father John Lennon, who abandoned him who was four years old and his mother Cynthia for a new, overwhelming love, inflicting a hard wound to heal and who only with time and a long job managed to restore herself to reconcile with that absent and cumbersome father, but of which the signs brings: in the face and soul.
The exhibition that opens on April 8 in Milan at the Still Gallery (open until May 30) entitled “Whispers Too”, Curated by Sandrina Bonetti Rubelli is a collection of photographs by Julian Lennon, who explore the intimate link between nature, responsibility and humanity with an intense look. An invitation to take a time for contemplation, to remain silent (Whinspers means whispers), to breathe, immersing himself in a path of contemplation of man and creation. Julian is a musician, a director, a photographer, and a philanthropist. And it is no coincidence that the Its foundation, engaged in the safeguarding of indigenous peoples and the environment, is called White Fether, white feather. “I don’t remember the precise circumstance, I do not have a good memory, for this I may be a photographer,” explains Julian Lennon at the inauguration of the exhibition, “but one day my father told me that if he died, he would have made sure to communicate with me that everywhere he had been all right I would have received a message in the form of a white feather. Much years later I found myself in Australia for a musical tour in the Hall of a hotel, two indigenous elderly people from the Mirning tribe of Adelaide came to meet me, who asked me to help them give voice to their rights and in doing so they handed me a white feather. It was the message I was waiting for ».
Photographer at the wedding of Prince Alberto and Charlene
After living in Los Angeles, Julian Lennon fell in love with the Principality of Monaco and decided to move to live there. Through a common friend he met Prince Alberto, and over time their foundations collaborated on common projects. It was Charlene who asked him to photograph her on the wedding day, and a section of the exhibition (as well as the cover of the catalog) is dedicated to these shots where the beauty of the princess is caught gently and attention to her sensitive soul and her fragility. The exhibition, who had been set up in Milan before stopping in Milan, will then continue his tour in Italy. Julian Lennon has a particular bond with our country: the second husband of his mother, Roberto Bassanini, was Italian: «Not only did I attend the Italian community of London, but during the holidays I came here to find Roberto’s relatives, for me more than a second father was the older brother that I never had. I remember Cortina, Pesaro, the island of Elba and Foppolo, a municipality in the province of Bergamo ».
“With this exhibition”, explains the curator Sandrina Bonetti Rubelli “is as if the artist invited his guests to make a journey within the world that portrays, with his imperfections, chaos, strength, beauty, loneliness, contemplation, immobility and fragility, which are reflected behind him ۚ.
Julian Lennon, an artist with a great soul
Born in Liverpool, England, Julian Lennon has started her artistic career at a young age, thanks to an innate gift in playing musical instruments. These skills soon extended to the cinematographic and visual limbs. Observer of life in all its forms, Julian has developed her personal expression through means such as music, the creation of documentaries, philanthropy and artistic photography.
Julian’s musical fusion between an edifying introspection and a reflective social commentary gave birth to a compelling work of seven albums. His debut, Valotte (Atlantic), produced two hits from Top Ten – the title track and “Too Late for Goodbyes” – and was also appointed for a Grammy for Best Debutant Artist. He later got the first place in the Rock album ranking in the United States. Internationally, one of his most popular songs, “Saltwater”, has been successful all over the world, reaching the summit in Australia for four weeks and the number 6 position in the United Kingdom. In 2022, he returned with the album acclaimed by critics, Jude (BMG), his first commercial exit in over a decade.
His entry into the world of author photography began in 2010 with his first exhibition, “Timeless”at the Morrison Hotel Gallery in New York. Since then he has exhibited his works in all the United States and in several countries of the world, including Belgium, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Italy, Japan, Monaco, Portugal, Turkey and United Arab Emirates. In 2020 he was the inaugural photographer of the prestigious Aston Martin Residences of Miami. In 2021 he collaborated with the General Public Art of Portia De Rossi to bring a collection of his photographs to the Restoration Hardware. In 2023 he exhibited important pieces of his collection together with the acclaimed artist Eva Claesens in a joint exhibition, “from Nature with Love”, in Lisbon. In 2024 the two presented another joint exhibition, “She Said Yes”, at Moretti Fine Art in Monaco.
As author of Bestsellers of the New York Times, the trilogy of children’s books Touch The Earth by Julian educates young readers for environmental issues through travel on the white feather areopane. As a sequel to that series, in the autumn of 2021 he returned with The Morning Tribe, for medium -level readers. The book is inspired by his work of defense of the lands of the natives. In the same year he won the World Literacy Award for his significant contribution to the promotion of literacy. In 2024 Julian published his first table photographic book entitled “Life’s Fragile Moments”. This splendid collection presents a set of images of great visual impact that embrace over two decades of life, career, adventures and philanthropic commitment of Lennon, reflecting his multifaceted creativity and his innate curiosity.
A well -known philanthropist, Julian founded The White Feather Foundation in 2007 to help preserve and protect indigenous cultures. Since then, the organization has expanded to help projects all over the world in the sectors of education, health, drinking water and the environment. In 2015, in honor of the missing mother, he launched the Cynthia Lennon scholarship for girls. Since his birth, he has assigned 75 scholarships to disadvantaged girls in Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. Julian was appointed by UNESCO “Peace Laureate” in 2020. He was executive producer of the award -winning documentary of Netflix Kiss the Ground (2020), on the positive impact of regenerative agriculture, and his sequel Common Ground (2023).
