Breaking all the rules in fashion and design, Bernhard Willhelm, a German native residing in Belgium, uses colors, volumes and themes that challenge labeling. In 1999, Willhelm started with womenswear, an assemblage that premiered at fashion shows in Paris. The designer fashioned his first collection of menswear in 2000, which he didn’t allow the public to view until 2003’s Menswear Fashion Week. Other accomplishments include[…..]
Japanese artist and fashion designer Mihara Yasuhiro challenges the boundaries of fashion and sports in both design and execution. Yasuhiro, who is also known as Miharayasuhiro, recently released a collector’s book in conjunction with PUMA that showcases four Japanese artists who have all been influenced by the PUMA Mihara footwear collection. PUMA by Mihara Yasuhiro began in 2000 with the launch of a sneaker collection,[…..]
The inventive sculptures of German artist Birgit Dieker are centered on the body. Thematic considerations are equally placed on the inside and outside of the body and often rely on material to offer extended content. The artist regularly uses materials that commonly interact or make reference to the body, such as textiles, leather, rubber, human hair, life belts, bandages and body suits. Together, the concepts[…..]
One of Brazil’s most famous artists, Ernesto Neto creates room-sized environments for the viewer to navigate through and interact with. By using light, stretchable fabrics and organic shapes, filled occasionally with scented spices, Neto’s work allows the viewer to experience the work through all senses, creating a spatial labyrinth for the journey through the passages in the room. Currently, Neto is collaborating with Merce Cunnigham[…..]
Egyptian born artists Ghada Amer creates hand-embroidered painting that use repetitive patterns which contain images of women taken from pornographic references. Amer challenges the male dominated language of Modernism by employing “craft-based” techniques like embroidery over abstract painting, further underscoring this idea by using imagery that attracts the male gaze. Ghada Amer was selected for exhibition in Whitney Biennale 2000, and has had international solo[…..]
Kent Henricksen alters patterned fabrics by embroidering them with hooded figures that seem to reference images of terrorists or the KKK. The figures in his work engage in deviant acts of behavior as they occupy the pre-existing patterns surrounding them. Henricksen is currently represented by John Connelly Presents in NYC, and you can read more about his work in the recent issue of Beautiful Decay.
