Throwback Thursday- Olimpia Zagnoli at HVW8 Gallery Los Angeles

 Art, Art Shows by Location, Artists, Collage, Conceptual Art, Digital Art, Fashion, Illustration, Italy, Los Angeles Art Shows, Milan, Mixed Media, Painting / Painters, Photographers / Photography, Sculptors / Sculpture
Oct 052023
 

Above are images from Olimpia Zagnoli’s 2018 exhibition Cuore di Panna at HVW8 Gallery in Los Angeles. She is currently showing her work, along with her talented family at Antonio Colombo Gallery in Milan, Italy. That exhibition, ZaLiZaZa. Inventario di famiglia will be on view until 11/19/23.

The press release from the gallery-

Galleria Antonio Colombo is pleased to present the exhibition ZaLiZaZa. Inventario di famiglia, curated by Francesca Pellicciari, featuring a group of artists belonging to the same family: the photographer Miro Zagnoli (Za), the artist Emi Ligabue (Li) and their two daughters: the illustrator Olimpia Zagnoli (Za), already connected with the gallery, and the costume designer Emilia Zagnoli (Za).

The members of ZaLiZaZa are a very modern family, but also one of days gone by: were they not engaged in making their own various artifacts, we could imagine them operating in a family workshop in the Renaissance or Baroque spirit, experimenting with new painting techniques, revolutionizing styles or using them as examples to make their own; creating majestic theatrical wings, garbed in their style which is simultaneously classic and eccentric.

After all, this image is not so far from what ZaLiZaZa are doing today, in the 21st century, each in his or her own field – contiguous and often overlapping ambits – constantly coming to grips with their own research and experimentation, relying on a shared language, a true family lexicon.

The exhibition pathway is an inventory of works of all kinds – drawings and photographs, wooden books, collages, object/sculptures, fabrics, screens and magic boxes – in an intense dialogue of correspondences, where the four voices alternate and take turns, without a chronological order; a dialogue accompanied by a selection of items (sketches, notes, postcards, family photos) that document a methodology, while at the same time emphasizing the constant presence of art in the private life of ZaLiZaZa.

Thus it is no coincidence that many subjects are similar in the work of ZaLiZaZa.

While for decades design has pervaded the still analog settings and photographs of Miro (Za), it is also a recurring theme in the works of Emi (Li), from the Cicognino of Albini to the life and work of Charlotte Perriand, or anonymous design found for sale online: “I have no taboos, no type of respect or norm.” Similar use of anonymous and unconventional materials is found in the “Souvenir” clothing series by Emilia (Za), made from touristy dishtowels with the map of Italy, just as certain archetypes return in the thousands of stripes traced by Olimpia (Za), always in pursuit of the perfect synthesis between the idea and its representation.

Beyond this, beyond design, mountains, figures, bodies, portraits, chiaroscuro effects, balconies, there is the continuing echo – in the various generations of ZaLiZaZa of what Matisse said one day to Picasso, as Emi (Li) reminds us: “In the end, Picasso, we don’t have to try to be so smart. You and I are alike: what we try to rediscover in art is the atmosphere of our First Communion.” To always observe the world with the eyes of children, with the gaze of ZaLiZaZa.

If Olimpia Zagnoli’s work looks familiar, she also designed The New Yorker’s August 28th issue, seen below.

NYC Art Shows- Thierry Mugler at Brooklyn Museum

 Art, Art Shows by Location, Artists, Brooklyn, Fashion, Fiber Arts, New York Art Shows, Photographers / Photography
May 052023
 

“Méduse de bal” gown

Even if fashion isn’t something you normally find interesting, it’s hard to resist the allure of the creations on view at the Brooklyn Museum for the retrospective Thierry Mugler: Couturissime.

From the museum’s web page-

Thierry Mugler: Couturissime is the first retrospective to explore the fascinating, edgy universe of French designer and creator of iconic perfumes Thierry Mugler. A fashion visionary, Mugler established himself as one of the most daring and innovative designers of the late twentieth century. His bold silhouettes and unorthodox techniques and materials—including glass, Plexiglas, vinyl, latex, and chrome—made their mark on fashion history.

In the 1970s, Mugler defined trends with his acclaimed “glamazon,” a chic, modern woman whose style evolved from the hippie fashions of the 1960s. In the 1980s and ’90s, Mugler galvanized the renaissance of haute couture through his provocative collections and theatrical fashion shows, which involved grandiose locations and the era’s most iconic models. Just as his work is still influencing new generations of couturiers, celebrities continue to be drawn to Mugler’s designs: his classic gowns have recently been worn by Beyoncé, Cardi B, and Kim Kardashian.

The exhibition features over one hundred outfits ranging from haute couture pieces to stage costumes, alongside custom accessories, sketches, videos, images by leading fashion photographers, and spectacular installations that mirror Mugler’s futuristic approach. The Brooklyn Museum’s presentation also introduces an expanded section dedicated to fragrance, centered on Mugler’s trailblazing scent Angel. Thierry Mugler: Couturissime is an opportunity to discover and rediscover the fantastical work of this multidisciplinary artist, who revolutionized the world of fashion.

 

A description of the above gown from the museum’s info plaque-

The “La Chimère” gown-Mugler’s masterpiece made in collaboration with the South African corset maker Mr. Pearl and the artist Jean-Jacques Urcun- has mythical status, considered by some as one of the most expensive creations in couture history, given the meticulous amount of work required in its making.

Mr. Pearl describes that collaboration with Mugler as the most extreme experience of his life: “[‘La Chimère gown] was probably the most intense project, it took six weeks working 24/7, so basically more than one thousand hours just in embroidery. We were about twenty people working on different parts of it along with Jean-Jacques Urcun. It’s about fantasy, it was like going to the University of Beauty. To fulfill his vision and his fantasies with clothes is already a challenge, he is a genius, a perfectionist. You have to try, and he pushes everyone to try what seems impossible to achieve with a needle.”

Also included in the exhibition are several incredible (and often safety-defying) photos Mugler took himself at various landmarks, including the one below at NYC’s Chrysler Building.

“Chrysler Building, New York”, 1989 -Claude Heidemeyer in “Vertigo” by Mugler, 1988

This exhibition closes 5/7/23.

 

LOUIS VUITTON SERIES 2- Past Present and Future- Exhibition in Hollywood

 Art, Fashion, Los Angeles Art Shows, Los Angeles Art Shows, Los Angeles Events
Feb 222015
 

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Today (2/22) is the last day of exhibition LOUIS VUITTON SERIES 2 – Past, Present and Future in Hollywood.

From their website:

The Series 2 exhibit is a modern and unexpected interpretation of a fashion show that contextualizes the Spring 2015 Women’s Ready-to-Wear collection, conceived by Women’s Artistic Director, Nicolas Ghesquière. The exhibit allows visitors to explore the creative process behind the collection through a “series” of distinctive rooms that thematically share his influences and inspirations as well as the excitement of the fashion show experience.

It is an interesting exhibit and does immerse you in the fashion show world. There is even a video section where you learn about the process of creating the items themselves.  And free stickers at the end!