Hotel Nord Pinus in Arles is a legendary place which has provided inspiration for numerous artists including Picasso and Cocteau. During her stay at the hotel in 2021 and between lockdowns, photographer Maryam Eisler was drawn in particular to Suite 10 – the location of Helmut Newton’s iconic 1973 Vogue shoot with Charlotte Rampling. Suite 10 at Nord-Pinus was also the place where celebrated bullfighters, such as Luis Miguel Dominguín, greeted their adoring crowds from the balcony railings, encapuslating Arles’ greatest history and past.

Exploring new ideas around ‘Femme Fatale’ and restaging some of these scenes, Eisler offers a new examination of beauty and sensuality through a series of new works currently on view at Alon Zakaim Fine Art gallery in London’s iconic Cork street.

At the Nord-Pinus, the artist returns to black and white photography too. Her work features the artist’s main protagonists and muses in Arles’ most significant and celebrated locations including the Roman arenas. Four photographs show the matador now being lured away from his arena by the same two women in elegant evening gowns. Sensual yet strong, seductive yet unattainable, these women project an idea of an uncompromising femininity and a vibrant beauty.

Highlights from ‘If Only These Walls Could Talk’, include three works featuring the dominant colour red as an evocation of passion and danger. The matador stands strong as a masculine force; however, in place of the bull, Eisler’s female fashion muses have returned, defiantly spirited and strong.

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