Duane Michals Photographs Jacob Elordi for Bottega Veneta

A new Bottega Veneta campaign featuring Jacob Elordi, photographed by Duane Michals, draws its name from Michals's 1994 image and poem What Are Dreams.

Campaign Details

The campaign showcases dreamy black-and-white images of actor Jacob Elordi, shot by Michals. This marks the first collaboration since Bottega's creative director Louise Trotter launched her debut collection for the house during Milan Spring 2026 shows in September.

Duane Michals's Artistic Style

Michals is renowned for his Sequences series, which narrates enigmatic stories that remain open-ended but captivating. His work often includes handwritten captions that introduce the narrative, with many images conveying charged queer sensuality.

Many of Michals's images feature a charged queer sensuality, such as his 1968 work The Spirit Leaves the Body, depicting a nude man on a bed whose spirit seems to rise toward the camera.

Artistic Philosophy

Michals has stated, "My photographs are about questions. They are not about answers."

Campaign Composition

The What Are Dreams campaign consists of photographs and a video shot in Michals's New York home. It shares its title with a 1994 image of a sleeping young man beside a snow globe of New York landmarks, later featured in Michals's book Questions Without Answers (2002).

Author's Summary

The campaign blends Michals's iconic enigmatic style with modern imagery of Jacob Elordi, emphasizing questions and dreams over definitive answers, capturing a poetic and sensual narrative.

ARTnews.com — 2025-11-04