There will not be, we repeat WILL NOT be a David LaChapelle exhibition at BOXeight

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On Friday we received an e-mail alerting us that BOXeight’s entry in the fashion week derby would be kicking off Oct. 22 with a party celebrating Flaunt magazine’’s October issue, honoring renowned photographer David LaChapelle (whose work is featured on a three-page cover and 12-page inside spread) and noting that the BOXeight gallery would feature ‘an exhibition of LaChapelle’s 20-year history of ... work with Flaunt magazine.’

On Saturday we received two e-mails retracting that e-mail. On Sunday we received two more. This morning, as we sat down at our desks my co-Ragers and I received a fifth. They read in part:

‘We regret to inform you that the e-mail you received from BOXeight on October 9, 2009, provided inaccurate information about an exhibition of David LaChapelle’s photographs. There will not be an exhibition related to his photography at our gallery and/or studio. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused David LaChapelle and his studio.’

I contacted New York City-based Fred Torres Collaborations, the artists’ management firm that represents LaChapelle, and spoke to the namesake Fred Torres, who explained it all to me.

‘It came as a complete surprise to us -- Flaunt is featuring his work on its cover and it’s some of the same work that’s part of a current solo exhibition at the [local] David DeSanctis Gallery,’ explained Torres. ‘It’s not that we wouldn’t have allowed this, we just didn’t know anything about it -- or what BOXeight was -- and there wasn’t any time.’

So BOXeight still plans on kicking off its version of Los Angeles Fashion Week with a celebration of Flaunt magazine’s October issue at a private, invitation-only event on Oct. 22, and said the October issue still showcases LaChapelle’s artwork, and chances are if you’re in attendance you’ll see it on display in some form or another.

But it is not, and we can’t stress this enough, IS NOT, in any way, an exhibition of David LaChapelle’s artwork.

Why is it starting to feel like Franz Kafka Fashion Week around here?

-- Adam Tschorn

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