Last week, the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced it would temporarily close due to the coronavirus outbreak and subsequently canceled all of its programs through May 15, including the annual Met Gala organized by Anna Wintour.
Recognized as one of the biggest fashion events of the year, the Met Gala coincides with the museum’s Costume Institute annual fashion exhibition — this year’s theme was time. As of now, the event has been postponed indefinitely and no alternative date has been announced.
The Met Gala’s cancellation is only the latest as the country braces for the anticipated impact of the outbreak, with stores, restaurants, and cinemas all temporarily closing in an attempt to flatten the curve and halt the spread of coronavirus.
There’s never a shortage of art in New York City, especially with the recent Armory Show and upcoming Frieze in May. However, there are a few smaller exhibitions worth checking out before then. And what better Spring weekend activity is there than gallery hopping?
The artist, cultural icon, and one of the most controversial American photographers, Robert Mapplethorpe made a clear and subversive mark throughout the 20th century. Creating portraits as well as floral compositions, Mapplethorpe both recorded this time period and marked its evolution. The first part of the exhibit (the second part will open on July 24th,) highlights the artist’s early works: nudes, floral still lifes, portraits of celebrities, NYC’s S&M scene, and several self-portraits. It’s definitely worth the trip uptown.
Fontana, the artist known for his cuts series, depicted his postwar era feelings on canvas. As his first major exhibit in the United States in over forty years, the compilation ar Met Breuer includes iconic examples of his work as well as his beginnings as a sculptor. While there, stop by Cafe Sbarsky and Flora Bar for yummy Austrian treats and high-end cuisine.
This exhibit in Queens features several installations of paper, bamboo, and metal lightweight sculptures transforming the space. The created environment reflect organizational, structural and ephemeral qualities of nature as well as exemplify the artist’s concept of light as both place and object.
Pioneer of modernism, the sculptor really shaped our relationship with simple forms and shapes. He preferred to evoke subjects rather than depict them. The unique exhibit showcases eleven of his sculptures as well as the artist’s drawings, photographs, and films.
Exhibit runs through June 15th.
“Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving” at Brooklyn Museum
Image: Courtesy of Old Stage Studios.
The largest exhibition stateside of the Mexican artist, this one is worth buying tickets for far in advance. The display includes self-portraits, as well as still life paintings as well as the artist’s personal items including her dresses, braces, and even makeup. This exhibit really offers an intimate look into the life of the Communist woman who recorded her life worthy of modern-day influencers.
Landing on the scene with a hyper-surreal perspective, Thierry Mugler dominated the fashion world in the late 20th century with his high-production showmanship and futuristic garments. By fusing science fiction and film noir visuals into razor-sharp silhouettes that celebrated femininity, the French label was able to simultaneously capture the zeitgeist and propel it to new heights, turning runway shows into opulent spectacles and models into superwomen.
The reclusive designer, who stepped down from his eponymous brand in 2002 before it shuttered completely shortly after, remains an instrumental figure in contemporary fashion. Renowned for sculpting entire worlds that extended far beyond the runway and amassing a vast body of work that fortified his singular vision, Mugler’s influence remains as idiosyncratic as ever and continues to rouse the public. Almost two decades after exiting the limelight, the designer is being honored with the first exhibition dedicated to his work, Thierry Mugler: Couturissime, which opens at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts this weekend.
When presented with the idea to commission an exhibition, Mugler himself chose curator Thierry-Maxime Loriot to make it a reality. Loriot has emerged as a young, yet seasoned veteran in sartorial show curation—his first exhibition was the widely successful Jean-Paul Gaultier retrospective that toured the world from 2011 to 2016.
“I was quite surprised and flattered when he [Mugler] asked because I know that many museums approached him for the chance to do an exhibition about his work,” Loriot says. “I guess it was a match with the museum director here [Nathalie Bondil] because we do more installations, rather than general retrospectives.”
The two worked closely together to design an immersive experience poised to re-introduce the genius of Mugler’s mind to the masses. (After all, the designer was the first to host a show that was open to the public—the Fall/Winter 1984 show in Paris featured over 350 looks and drew in an audience of over 6,000.) “We make installations that are very alive,” Loriot assures. “We are storytellers. That’s what the exhibition will be about—it’s going to be about fashion and the obsession with Mugler through the years with a thematic approach.”
Comprised of over 150 full couture looks (many on display for the first time), the exhibition encompasses Mugler’s multidisciplinary work as a full auteur, including photographs, original illustrations, and rare video footage from his extensive archives, which remain hidden and carefully preserved in secret warehouses throughout France.
“It’s quite impressive to see the level of perfection that was achieved in these pieces, and also the amount of work and number of hours he spent on every piece,” Loriot says, regarding his time spent combing through the archives and what viewers should expect. “Many people see the pieces in the magazines and on TV, but to see them up close is really impressive.” There’s also some irony that Mugler, whose work was frequently acclaimed for its futuristic appeal, had not preserved any of his archives digitally. “[Mugler] stopped doing fashion in 2002, when pretty much all the photographers went digital, so none of the images were digitized from the archives.”
Despite a seemingly never-ending public demand for all things nostalgic, Loriot is adamant that the exhibition is very much a reflection of today. “I don’t think this is something nostalgic, to be honest. I think this is more like a new work altogether,” he says. Additionally, a section of the exhibit includes new looks crafted exclusively for the museum.
He also mentions the importance of re-contextualizing Mugler’s work for modern consumption. Even at his career peak, his pieces were not without scrutiny—critics frequently deemed his clothes sexist and harmful for their exaggerated shapes and hypersexual tone.
“I think it’s always interesting to put things in context. We live in a #MeToo era,” he says, showing how hindsight has affected interpretation to carry Mugler’s work in higher regard. In his universe, women were autonomous supervixens who existed unburdened by systemic oppression. And it’s likely this interpretation that has continued to attract some of the biggest stars—like Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Cardi B—today.
Since parting ways with his label, Mugler (who’s reverted to using his birth name, Manfred) has turned his focus to extreme bodybuilding, yet his larger-than-life presence still resonates within the industry. His brand remains a fragrance juggernaut, consistently ranking among best-selling in the world since the first perfume launched in 1992. And the label remains a Paris Fashion Week fixture since its resurrection in 2010 under the direction of stylist and art director Nicola Formichetti. (It’s currently overseen by Casey Cadwallader.) But it’s this exhibition that promises to remind the public why a designer like Mugler is so necessary—harnessing a distinct utopian vision, he shattered sartorial convention and expanded the notion of what fashion could be.
“He was really using fashion as a medium; as an artist, and for me that’s what’s important,” Loriot says. “He revolutionized the system.”
This article is featured in the Spring 2019 issue of Essential Homme.
An artist of all trades, Alexander Mijares describes himself as “that one artist who uses too much color” on his Instagram. Paradoxically, his first NYC show is entirely devoid of color after an inspirational three-day rumble through the city. No Distractions, Mijares’ new exhibition at Hub Seventeen is open to the public through November 4th, with several pieces already sold prior to the opening.
Photo: Courtesy of the artist.
For someone who seems to have a way with color, Mijares confesses, “I have a hard time expressing myself with emotions and feelings and stuff internally. My way of expressing myself is that my paintings are journal entries. Every time I sell a painting, someone tears a page out of my book.” His journal pages are full of travel inspirations, spiritual hikes, Latino background influences, and, of course, Miami, where he is based. But he also knows how to work the market. With over 300k Instagram followers, he says that 90% of his sales happen via social media. So how does one acquire that sort of engagement?
Mijares’ path to success wasn’t necessarily paved from the beginning — he earned a degree in business seven years ago. Out of desire to decorate his empty bedroom wall and unable to afford expensive art, Mijares decided to make a piece himself (a flashback to days of school doodling with ADD.) And so he made a piece. “I literally took the display and price tags, and I drove home.” Mijares recalls about his first visit to an art store. “I set it up so I had the display of all the brushes, display of all the things, and I just started painting.” Fast forward to seven years later and Mijares is selling artwork to Maluma, collaborating with David Beckham and his MLS soccer team, Pitbull, Luis Fonsi, Kevin Hart, and many more. “I kind of just know how to play the market — this is where my MBA comes in,” he says. “I know that if I want to sell art over here, I need to work with these guys over there so that people take me seriously.”
Alexander Mijares | Photo: Courtesy of the artist
Versatile with his clients and approaches, he is just as adaptable to new styles. “I think the moment I finish the show [in NYC] and I go home, I’ll learn how to carve marble,” Mijares jokes. But he’s done just that and then some. He’s carved clay, painted a 5,000-square-foot mural, Ferraris, ginormous blowup ducks, a cellulite reduction machine, and more. Still, the practice does not come easy to the artist as he always starts a new piece frustrated. He doesn’t sugarcoat that it is hard work for him and in those moments he travels to places like Cuba, Thailand or Brazil to soak up inspiration that he incorporates in his signature style of stark lines, vibrant colors, and seeming intentionality.
With an increasing profile in the industry, Mijares has his familiarity and sensibility to thank. “You can put me anywhere — you can put me in a favela,” he says. “I’ll be best friends with every single person until I come out.” His art conveys a similar emotion — it isn’t a cold, but instead cozy and inviting. Whether the audience knows from his social media or feels an amicable connection in the art, Mijares is a good guy. He works with orphanages, non-profits, and international organizations for constant collaborations and fundraising. He’s a good guy that makes good art, and it works.
Alexander Mijares’ first NYC exhibit titled ” NO DISTRACTIONS” is open Oct 12th – Nov 4th at Hub Seventeen (114 5th Ave inside the Lululemon Flatiron store).
Daniel Arsham, a veteran resident at the Perrotin Gallery with his fifteenth exhibit, is showing his second solo exhibit in the city, 3018. The exhibition features new pieces devoid of color and instead focusing on elements, architecture, and material, in a resulting collection which took Arsham over two years to make.
Photo by Guillaume Ziccarelli. Courtesy of Perrotin.
“A lot of the work is a continuation of the objects and work I’ve been making for the last 10 years or so that imagine objects from our everyday experience with the perspective of time,” says Arsham. “There is a sense that they are either moving forward or that these objects have been brought back.” The humble man, in a white A.P.C. coat smudged with green paint, researched extensively, focusing on particular objects which he calls ‘icons.’ The telephone, for example, had to be a specific Westinghouse phone.
Arsham really explores the essential composition of these objects. “I try to pretend as if I don’t know what the objects are and what they are for,” says Arsham. On the first floor of the gallery, the so-called garage space, two cars occupy the same– a 1981 DeLorean and a 1961 Ferrari 250GT California. Both cars were produced in limited quantity (only 50 of the Ferrari), so Arsham followed through to understand the charm behind them. The actual DeLorean is encased within the piece of art. There are also seeming ruins of the original cars stuffed with quartz crystals.
Photo by Guillaume Ziccarelli. Courtesy of Perrotin.
“We look at the works as if they are in a state of decay — degrading or falling apart. But we also associate crystal with a process of growth. So there’s an ambiguity as to whether the objects are disintegrating or whether they are growing to some kind of completion, and that sort of in-between state,” says the artist. Another installation on the same floor follows the same theme, and includes mythical cast book covers that Arsham made up entirely for himself.
On the third floor, Arsham explores the same theme even further, with a draped wall tag at the entrance reading “FUTURE”. The back-wall is focused on erosion as an idea. The patches from his old backpack take on the theme of materialism and the tie up creatures a theme of something subtly recognizable, yet dark at the same time.
Photo by Guillaume Ziccarelli. Courtesy of Perrotin.
As a manipulator of architectural structures, Arsham reworks them in a way that is not entirely destructive or building, but rather intentional physical movement. “Somewhat recognizable. They’re subtle but kind of dark at the same time.”
After completing several stops in a 5-year international tour, the renowned exhibition David Bowie Is, which chronicles the namesake artist’s legacy, finally concludes its run in New York. The travel pattern was meant to mimic Bowie’s life — when the project was first announced, he stated that he wanted it to begin in London, his hometown, and conclude in New York, the city he spent most of his adult life in. A bittersweet ending, but the exhibition (curated superbly by the Victoria and Albert Museum) itself is a spectacular exploration of Bowie’s career and a treat to anyone who visits (over a million people across the world already have).
Featuring personal artifacts from the artist’s childhood, including journal entries and personal belongings, rare photographs, and a vast selection of Bowie’s most iconic costumes (full disclaimer: when I saw the blue Life on Mars suit in the flesh I teared up), the presentation is a dazzling celebration of the British icon that shows glimpses into his personal life, and how his influence continues to flow through the veins of contemporary art today.
The exhibition opens on March 2 and will be on display until July 5, and tickets can be bought here.
Chronicling the legacy of the brand since its inception in 1854, Louis Vuitton opened the doors to its expansive exhibit on October 27 in the historic American Stock Exchange building in downtown Manhattan. “Volez, Voguez, Voyagez – Louis Vuitton” is a three-floor exhibition that follows the renowned designer’s journey from humble beginning to household name that changed the very face of modern luxury.
Designed by opera director Robert Carsen, who additionally oversaw the presentation’s design while on display in Tokyo and Paris, the exhibition features a plethora of merchandise from different eras of the brand, following its evolution and future direction. Divided into ten chapters, the main motif of the series is the trunk, which signifies the label’s international influence on contemporary fashion. Rounding out the eventful night, guests were escorted to Pier 17 to enjoy an afterparty and DJ sets from Mark Ronson and Virgil Abloh.
To commemorate the exhibition, Louis Vuitton also installed a pop-up shop in downtown shopping center Brookfield Place — in theme with the exhibition, the boutique will carry a curated selection of leather merchandise and travel goods, which can be customized on site.
“Volez, Voguez, Voyagez – Louis Vuitton” is on display until January 7th at 86 Trinity Pl, New York, NY 10006. The pop-up shop in Brookfield Place will be open until March 30th at 230 Vesey St, New York, NY 10281.
Image: Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts. All Rights Reserved/Licensed by VAGA New York, NY. Courtesy Skarstedt, New York.
International gallery Skarstedt exhibits contemporary artist Mike Kelley as you’ve never seen him in “Shaped Paintings,” a show that brings his varied pieces together for the first time. The American artist’s works range from performance pieces to wall-size drawings in an array of mediums symbolic of cultural attitudes and repressed abuse. MoMA PS1 previously hosted the largest exhibition of the artist, occupying the entire museum with 200 influential works that dated back to 1993 in relation to pop culture and social structure. Included now in his new show, the “Thirteen Seasons” series consists of oval-shaped paintings on wood in representation of each month of the year, with the final piece serving as a reminder that art seeks memory and preserves its existence through time. Significant to his approach and influential art education, this series centers itself through elements of Hans Hofmann’s “push-pull” theory, finger painting techniques, and childlike illustrations that vivify Kelley’s unconsciousness of inhibited memories.
“Shaped Paintings” is now on view at Skarstedt in NYC from April 21 – June 25, 2016.
Image: Delfino Sisto Legnani, courtesy of Fondazione Prada.
Eternally dedicated to contemporary art and culture, Milan’s Fondazione Prada presents an anthological exhibition devoted to Gianni Piacentino—an artist who emerged in Italy after World War II—from now until January 10th, 2016.
Image: Delfino Sisto Legnani, courtesy of Fondazione Prada.
Curated by Germano Celant, the solo show comprises more than 90 works, and is hosted on the two levels of the Podium, the building at the center of the Fondazione’s architectural compound. Combining two of the dominant tendencies of his early career, Pop art and Minimal art, the artist turned to the world of velocity and transportation, including cars, motorcycles, and planes, all products of pop culture. The ground floor of the Podium has a selection of works realized from 2015 back to the early 1970s, and the upper floor, divided into two separate longitudinal spaces, focuses on the dawn of Piacentino’s career, from 1968 to 1965.
Image: Delfino Sisto Legnani, courtesy of Fondazione Prada.
The exhibition is completed by a publication edited by Celant and published by the art institution.
Italian luxury brand Marni celebrates its 20th anniversary this week with the opening of its Venice Biennale-timed “Becoming Marni” exhibition; a site-specific installation featuring 100 wooden sculptures created by Brazilian artist Véio and distributed inside and outside of the San Gregorio Abbey in Venice, drawing a fantastical landscape of organic forms.
Image: Marni.
Image: Marni.
Véio gives new life to pieces of wood, clogs, and branches that he finds along the river of his native village in the north east of Brazil. Upon gathering, he immediately identifies a creature in each piece; an animal, a resting human, or a fantastic bird. After clipping, shaving, and adding color, Véio restores meanings that exceed the pure physicality of the wooden forms. Documented on film by Italian artists Tellas and Roberto Ciredz, Véio’s unique artistic process will be shown in a room inside the Abbey as an integral part of the exhibition. The relationship between the Brazilian artist and Marni stems from the fact that both explore the power of transformation and strive for the assertive presence of pure form. According to a representative for the brand, “Marni has found in Véio a champion of the same values.”
“Becoming Marni” is on view until November 22, 2015 at Abbazia di San Gregorio, Dorsoduro 172, Venezia.
Levi’s Vintage Clothing are putting some pedal to the metal this week on their Spring 2013 Hot Rod themed collection with the launch of a traveling “Hot Rod” exhibition. The show features 35 one-of-a-kind hand-painted “Kustom Monster” Levi’s Vintage Clothing 1950’s sweatshirts, individually airbrushed by living legend & one of the originators of iconic Hot Rod style, Von Franco, (basically, he’s the still-underground version of Von Dutch). There’s also a special project with Fender Custom Shop, featuring a hot-rodded hand-built guitar and one of a kind Levi’s Vintage Clothing jean jacket. For this, the two brands took inspiration from GIs returning from World War Two with an invigorated DIY spirit and a penchant for fast cars and fast music. The guitar is a replica of a 1957 Stratacaster® that has been painstakingly built and reliced by Fender Custom Shop’s Master Builder, John Cruz, to portray many years of hard wear and play—in and out of the garage. Levi’s® Vintage Clothing similarly designed its contribution a full look (custom jacket and jeans) that the Hot Rodder would have worn while working on engines or jamming with friends. Hang a louie and check more images and tour details by clicking here.
The exhibition arrives in New York, at Brooklyn Denim, on February 23rd, and will be on display until March 2nd. The exhibition will then travel to Ace Cafe in London, 14oz in Berlin and Tokyo.
