Art Meets Fashion at Prada, of Course
Apparently, when art imitates fashion it’s just as tall and skinny. Photos from Wallpaper
Los Angeles artist John Baldessari has an exhibition at the Prada Foundation in Milan featuring sculptures created to imitate a fashion show.
Titled “'The Giacometti Variations” (an homage to Swiss scupter Alberto Giacometti), the exhibition features nine sculptures made of resin and steel
Clocking in at nearly 15 feet tall, the sculptures are dressed in creations designed by Baldessari, as well (another homage—to Edgar Degas’ La petite danseuse de quatorze ans).
The artist's wide-ranging inspiration for the exhibition include Joan of Arc, Rapunzel, Marilyn Monroe and iconic costumes from “Gone With the Wind” and “Casablanca.”
A release about the exhibition says Baldessari was “inspired by archetypes whose origins lie in the imagery fostered by the interrelationship between film and fashion, as well as by the fanciful interaction between art-world novelty and the continual updating of the messages conveyed in advertising and commerce.”
Baldessari added another contemporary film reference in an interview with Wallpaper magazine, saying “It’s sort of like science fiction. You know, the image of that freaky 60ft woman.”
To further the runway show concept, the artist has been rotating the looks on his “models” to highlight fashion’s “dizzying speed of consumption and obsolescence.”
The exhibition, which opened on Oct. 29, is due for a wardrobe change on Nov. 16. By the time the exhibition closes on Dec. 26, Baldessari will have rotated through 18 looks.
