Devout/Divine - Fashion vs. Religion.

Religion and its visual externalization are high on the European agenda list of topics. Burqa's are already forbidden in Belgium and soon France will also follow this example. But are burqa's and other religious garments part of rituals or are they just pure aesthetic elements?

From the 26th of June until the 9th of January 2010, the Hasselt Fashion Museum becomes the place where visitors can explore this link between fashion and religion by visiting the exhibition Devout/Divine - Fashion vs. Religion. This exhibition will not show a traditional overview of historical religious garments and textile, but focuses on the relationship between contemporary fashion and religion. It emphasizes the integration and translation of religious symbolism in designs of the past decennia. A few examples of what will be on display are original interpretations of burqa's, a praying carpet transformed into a handbag, rosaries and habits remodelled as catwalk ensembles and haute couture nuns.

Devout/Divine - Fashion vs. Religion will be a compilation of creations of national and international designers and the exhibition examines how religion is integrated in their work. Rick Owens, Walter Van Beirendonck, Mada Van Gaans and Bernhard Wilhelm are just a few names of designers that will participate in this expo.

Devout/Divine - Fashion vs. Religion
June 26, 2010 - January 9, 2011
Hasselt Fashion Museum, Hasselt Belgium

Written for BLEND.

DMY Awards: the outcome.

1. For Use/Numen - Tape Installation

Last Friday, the winners of the DMY design festival in Berlin were announced. DMY annually highlights the most exceptional works in contemporary product design. The DMT Award winners are being selected from a group out of ten projects, nominated by the international festival jury. The first place winner of the DMY Awards was For Use/Numen with their stunning and expansive installation Tape Installation, which was completely made out of transparent sticky tape. Second was the Dutch duo Daphna Isaacs & Laurens Manders with their beautiful designed centrepieces, called Tafelstukken. And EPFL+ECAL Lab came in third with their exhibition Give Me More, which explored the prospects of augmented reality.


2. Daphne Isaacs & Laurens Manders - Tafelstukken


3. EPFL+ECAL Lab - Give Me More

Written for BLEND.

Proof.

Photography often gives you the idea that the photographer just got the shot by coincidence; just walking by casually and "click" the perfect shot in one fortuitous moment. This may be true in some cases, but most of the time the perfect shot takes a lot more energy, and most important, a higher amount of shots. The exhibition Proof of the Catherine Edelman Gallery in Chicago tries to highlight this last phenomenon.

From July 16th till September 4th, 26 photographers will exhibit their contact sheets (proofs) alongside their chosen photograph. The contact sheet is akin to a diary. Few artists ever let the public see these, as it reveals their process and way of thinking. So, this show lets viewers see how the photographer's eyes framed a specific scene. Certainly recommended if you've always wanted to take a look inside an artist’s brain!



Proof
July 16th - September 4th 2010
Catherine Edelman Gallery, Chicago

Written for BLEND.

Week End by Alex Prager.

Adorned with wigs and dressed in seventies retro glamour, the characters of the photographs of Alex Prager explore American youth and pop culture in cinematic series that appear to have stepped straight off a 1950's film set. The women are staged in neon Californian landscapes, which gives a result of timeless, eerie and compelling images. "I am documenting a world that exists and doesn't exist at the same time." thus Alex Prager.

The Michael Hoppen Contemporary Gallery in London presents the most recent work, called Week End, by the rising American photographer till July 7th. Also her first move into film with Despair, a film written by Prager and directed by Requiem for a Dream's Matthew Libatique, is shown at the gallery.



Alex Prager - Week End
June 10th till July 17th 2010
Michael Hoppen Contemporary, London

Written for BLEND.

Fingerings.

I think most of us can share a short history of finger painting far back in our childhood, but most of us left this primitive art form far behind. But not Judith Braun; she has taken finger painting to a whole new level. She makes drawings and installations only by using her fingers, dipped in charcoal or pastel. Mostly, her drawings are in abstract forms and bilateral symmetry. Sometimes she uses both hands simultaneously to the extent of her arms’ reach to create symmetrical patterns.



Written for BLEND.