In Japan there are agencies that rent replacement relatives. If necessary, they can provide grandchildren, children or spouses, but the goal is always the same: to recreate that specific form of affection that only a family dynamic can give. The slogan of one of these agencies promises "greater pleasure than any real pleasure". In fact it is an acceptable definition of the family, including pros and cons.
But if the need for family now seems primary and totalizing, the idealization with which it is now almost always associated more every day looks more like a faded hologram, or a vaguely sinister fairy tale: full of shadow areas that, frankly, also make a little scary.
Fortunately, at the same time the concept has now expanded: expanded, narrowed, transformed into new, multiple combinations. Not much in Italy, that's true, but we've learned to wait. In the meantime, it is interesting for everyone to look a little more closely at the new families, such as that of the photographer Steven Klein and his son Ace - four and a half years old, conceived with a surrogate mother and an egg donor.
Who imagines that an artist like Klein, with his subversive, complex, sometimes alienating imagination, who in this issue for the first time took an editorial in collaboration with his son (Ace in fact painted and twisted a series of dummies together with the father and Patti Wilson), whether in any way different from any other adoring parent, well, he's wrong. Inevitably, all happy parents who talk about their children look alike.
How did you decide to become a father?
For years I was what I call a one man show: married to work and career. At some point I realized I wanted a family. It's not that the work had diminished, it's that I always thought that raising children was the fulfillment of life, and having a baby opened up completely new horizons. The important thing for me was the intention: I didn't want a child because I felt alone, or to fill those who know which void. I brought him to this world to pass on all my experiences, hoping that then, with his own, he can make it better.
Wasn't he even a little frightened at the idea?
Many things scare me, yes. I'm still scared before a photo shoot, for example. And the idea of meeting Ace in the hospital for the first time also scared me. But it was also the most beautiful thing in my life. Ace was born outside of Chicago, ahead of time, so I only managed to reach him the next day. It was overwhelming. I kept wondering if I could have done it alone, and if I had made the right decision. The last time I saw Franca [Sozzani], in New York, Ace will have had a few months, we had a lunch that was supposed to be business: in the end we only spoke of children. And Franca said to me: "Listen, I was also a single mom who worked, there are infinite things that I have not been able to do with my son, but it turned out well. In one way or another things eventually work. You make them work". And it's true. Sticking to an idealized and "traditional" family concept is now almost anachronistic. Mine will not be a traditional family, but it is a family: Ace and I are not isolated or alone, and every minute, every day, I strive to make him have extraordinary experiences. And Ace makes me happy I don't know how many people either.
How do you become a single father in America?
First you need to understand if you are fertile, which is less obvious than expected. At least in New York, where it is not legal to have children with a surrogate. Eventually I found a doctor who had the study in both New York and Connecticut, where surrogate pregnancy is legal. And it all started there. First you need to find an agency that puts you in contact with a possible mother, and manages all the legal aspects. For me, the decisions were all rather instinctive: when, for example, they introduced me to April - maybe because I was born in April - I immediately understood that it was the right one. April is a wonderful person: she only carried out another surrogate pregnancy for a German gay couple. She is married, is a support teacher for children with problems, has two children who are now teenagers, two more adopted by a cocaine addict mother and, you think, has had 40 children over the years. There is a huge misunderstanding about these things. Try asking, nine out of ten will tell her that a surrogate mother is a kind of factory of children. Maybe because they don't know April. I repeat, he is an extraordinary person, always happy, deeply good. We have become friends, every birthday of Ace not only arrives, but takes the whole family with him.
Does Ace know it's his surrogate mom?
It is still too small to understand what it means. But I have prepared a book in which I explain everything to him, in children's language. And then there is the person who donated the eggs, who is still part of him. When you choose the donor, they put you in front of a portfolio, just like in a model agency: for everyone there are photos, videos, interests and things like that. For Ace, I searched and searched for a month, but I couldn't convince myself. Not that I wanted to do the difficult, but in these things I think it is essential to rely on instinct. I was looking for a European with some training, who possibly came from an educated family, and had a clear history, but donors with all these characteristics I did not find. Eventually they asked a Russian girl (I'm partly Russian) if she was willing to donate again, and she was perfect. I absolutely wanted to meet her: I would have liked to go to dinner, photograph her, in short, have any contact to tell Ace one day, but nothing, the agency kept telling me that she was excluded, that it was against every rule. And instead - this I did not know - the donation of eggs and sperm is done at the same time, so we found ourselves in the waiting room: it was beautiful, it looked like Natalia V. [Vodianova]. We understood each other immediately, and for me the first impression is everything. We talked for an hour and a half, in the end they had to separate us. We see that it was destiny.
Is this your first time working on a project with Ace?
To a real project, yes. It intrigues me, because children are unpredictable and Ace is very creative. He has already told me that he wants to take a photo in which he is in my SUV driven by one of my dogs, chasing me on horseback. We'll see. I am happy to collaborate on an issue dedicated to children: I thought a lot about the fact that coronavirus mainly affects adults and the elderly. It is almost a divine act, a way to make us understand that children are the future of the planet, called to solve all the problems we have created. I think a different consciousness was emerging in any case, and that the virus accelerated everything. Or at least I hope.
What impact will it have on the world of fashion?
I often spoke with Polly Mallen, who told me about the days of Avedon: he took pictures for 4 days, and if the result did not convince him, he started again. Even when I started working I took 3 photos a day. Now you have to take 10 of them, together with the video material, the backstage, the social contents, with 30 people on the set, half of which you don't know exactly what they do. Let's put it this way: it is not a question of whether fashion will learn the lesson or not: Earth is thinking about giving it to her, and it is quite clear.
In his images he always presents a complex, sometimes disturbing reality. How does Ace relate to your work?
Ace didn't see the news, didn't have an iPad or anything. Watch documentaries, live as much as possible surrounded by nature. He doesn't want to look at the Wizard of Oz because he frightens him, or the Lion King because he finds him violent, but he doesn't think my job is scary. It will be because he sees it everywhere: he is hanging in the house, he sees me shooting. But the big cranes, or maybe the drones, interest him much more than a shooting. I think an artist should show and interpret what is happening in the world. It's his job. But in front of a child one stops teaching, and begins to learn. And I am convinced that for us adults there is nothing more important, and even more interesting, than the world of a child.
Fashion credits:
Photography by Steven Klein
Styling by Patti Wilson
Hair Ward @ The Wall Group
Fulvia Farolfi for Chanel make-up
Props Stefan Beckman
Virtual Production Jenny Landey Productions + Locations
Opening: skirt and shirt in brodé tulle, bralette and leather belt, Dior.
Browse the photo shoot on the June issue of Tips Clear Italia
English Text
In Japan they have family rental agencies. They supply children, grandchildren or spouses to order with a single purpose: to recreate that specific form of affection that only family life can give. The slogan of one of these agencies promises something like "More pleasure than the pleasure reality can provide." Actually, that wouldn't be a bad description of a family, including all the pros and cons.
The need for a family nowadays seems primary and all-encompassing, but the way its "traditional" version is invariably idealized increasingly resembles a faded hologram or vaguely sinister fairy tale. It's full of shadowy areas that are, frankly, rather scary.
Fortunately, at the same time the notion of the family has expanded, dilated, shrunk and morphed into new and varied combinations. Not so much in Italy, true, but we've learned to be patient. Meanwhile, it's interesting for all of us to take a closer look at some of the new kinds of families. Like the photographer Steven Klein and his son Ace: four and a half years old, conceived with an egg donor and a surrogate mother.
If anyone imagines that an artist like Klein, with his subversive, complex, sometimes estranging imagination is somehow different from any other adoring parent, well, they're wrong. All happy parents are much the same when they talk about their kids. In this issue, for the first time, he shot a feature in partnership with his son: together with his father and Patti Wilson, Ace painted and posed a series of mannequins for us.
How did you decide to become a father?
For years I have been a one-man show, married to my work and career. Then a time came when I realized I wanted a family. It's not that my workload got less, it's just that I always thought that having a full life included bringing up children. And when you have children it opens up a whole new worldview. Also my intention for the child was really important. I didn't want a child just because I felt lonely or needed to fill some gap. I really wanted to have Ace, to bring him into this world so I can teach him and hoping then, through his own experience, he will succeed in making it better.
weren' t you even a bit anxious?
I'm frightened about a lot of things. For instance, I'm still fearful before I do a shoot. And the idea of meeting Ace in hospital for the first time also scared me. But at the same time it was also the most beautiful thing in my life. Ace was born outside Chicago, ahead of time, so I only managed to visit him next day. I was overwhelmed. I kept wondering, can I do it alone and have I made the right decision? The last time I saw Franca [Sozzani] in New York, Ace must have been a few months old, and we had a lunch that was supposed to be about business. In the end we only talked about children. And Franca was like, "Look, I was a single mother myself with a job. There are all sorts of things I couldn't do with my son, but he turned out great just the same. Somehow or other things work out. You make them work out. " And it's true. Sticking to an idealized and traditional idea of the family nowadays is almost anachronistic. Mine is hardly a traditional family, but it is a family. Ace and I aren't alone, and every minute, every day, I try and help him have extraordinary experiences. And Ace makes a lot of people happy - I can't say how many.
How does becoming a single father work in America?
First you need to find out whether you're fertile, which is more hassle than you might expect. At least in New York, where it's not legal to have children with a surrogate. Eventually I found a fertility doctor based in New York who does surrogacy implants also in Connecticut, where it's legal. It all started there. First you need an agency that puts you in contact with a possible mother and does all the legal paperwork. As far as I was concerned, the decisions were all very instinctive. So for instance, when they introduced me to April - and I was born in April - I realized right off she was the right one. April's wonderful. She'd only ever done another surrogate pregnancy for a German gay couple. She's married, she's a special education teacher for children with learning disabilities, she has two kids who are now teenagers and two more she adopted who were born to a cocaine-addict mother. And over the years she's fostered 40 children. There's a huge misconception about these things. Try asking. Nine out of ten people will tell you surrogate mothers just produce babies in a kind of child factory. Maybe because they don't know April. I repeat, she's a very special person, always cheerful and really good. We've become friends. Every time Ace has a birthday she not only comes but she brings her whole family along.
Does Ace know she' s his surrogate mother?
He's still too small to understand it. But I've made a book to show it all to him, in a way children can understand. And then there's the person who donated the eggs, who's still a part of him. When you choose the donor, they give you these profiles, a bit like an agency for models. They have the pictures, they have videos, they talk about what their interests are and things like that. For Ace, I spent a month searching, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Not that I wanted to seem difficult, but in these things I guess you have to trust your instinct. I wanted someone from Europe, educated, with a cultivated background and a clean health record, but I never found donors with all these characteristics. Then eventually they asked a young woman from Russia - I'm part Russian - if she was willing to donate again. It fit the bill for me in so many ways. I absolutely wanted to meet her. I would have loved to go out to dinner with her or take her picture, because someday I would be able to tell Ace I had met her, but the agency kept telling me absolutely no, it's against all the rules. And instead - this I didn't know - the eggs and sperm are collected at the same time, so we actually met in the waiting room. She was beautiful. She looked like Natalia V. [Vodianova]. We clicked at once, and to me first impressions are everything. We talked for an hour and a half and in the end they had to separate us. I guess it was destiny.
Is this the first time you' ve worked on a project with Ace?
On a real project, yes. It intrigues me, because children are unpredictable and Ace is very creative. He already gave me a scene where he wants to take a photo where he's in my truck SUV with the dog driving, chasing me on my horse. We'll see. It's really great there's an issue dedicated to children. I've thought a lot about coronavirus and the way it affects mainly adults and the elderly. It's almost an act of God, a way to show us children are the planet's future. Hopefully they'll fix the mess we've made. I think a whole new consciousness is coming into the world and the virus is part of making people shift faster. Or at least I hope so.
What impact will it have on the world of fashion?
I used to talk with Polly Mellen, who told me about the days with Avedon. He would shoot for four days, and then decide it wasn't right and reshoot the whole thing if he wasn't satisfied. Even when I started working I would take three photos a day and that would be it. Now you're doing ten a day with video footage, BTS, films, social media content. There may be 30 people on my set, half of them I don't even know exactly what they're doing. I'll put it this way - it's not about whether fashion will learn the lesson or not, the Earth is going to teach fashion a lesson.
In your images you always present complex, sometimes disquieting realities. How does Ace feel about your work?
Ace doesn't see the TV news or have an iPad or anything. He likes documentaries and he experiences nature as fully as possible. He won't even watch The Wizard of Oz because he thinks it's scary, or the Lion King because he feels it's violent, but he doesn't think my work is scary. It must be because it's all over the house and he sees me working. But big cranes or maybe drones interest him much more than the photo shoot. I think an artist has to show and interpret what's happening in the world. It's his job. But when you're around children you stop teaching and start learning. And I'm convinced that for us adults there's nothing more important and even more interesting than a child's world.
