Ritual

Walter van Beirendonck Fall/Winter 2011

Fashion's only true Bärchen surprised us with a tailored and quite conservative approach. Picturing the modern shaman. Whose suit is gradually conquered by colour and absurdity. The dichotomy of the tamed and feral perfectly summarized by hair sculptures - an aesthetic topic also discussed here.
/HORST

Image credits Catwalking, Dazed Digital

Ritual

Walter van Beirendonck Fall/Winter 2011

Fashion's only true Bärchen surprised us with a tailored and quite conservative approach. Picturing the modern shaman. Whose suit is gradually conquered by colour and absurdity. The dichotomy of the tamed and feral perfectly summarized by hair sculptures - an aesthetic topic also discussed here.
/HORST

Image credits Catwalking, Dazed Digital

Lover Boys

Artworks Felix Gonzalez-Torres

An artwork that replicates the ideal weight of the artist and his partner who was dying at the time the piece was made. Visitors are encouraged to take a piece of candy as the pile should be continuously replenished. A metaphoric creation of the conditions for perpetual life.
/HORST

Specific objects without specific form, January 29 – April 25 2011, MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany

Lover Boys

Artworks Felix Gonzalez-Torres

An artwork that replicates the ideal weight of the artist and his partner who was dying at the time the piece was made. Visitors are encouraged to take a piece of candy as the pile should be continuously replenished. A metaphoric creation of the conditions for perpetual life.
/HORST

Specific objects without specific form, January 29 – April 25 2011, MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt Am Main, Germany

Fantastic Planet

La Planète sauvage 1973

In love. From the very first second. Social criticism emerging from a Trojan horse known as surrealism. Masters and slaves. Destruction and self-destruction. Incredible imagery. And finally: Useful lessons in keeping a pet...
/HORST

Optical Reflection

Top René Magritte, La Reproduction Interdit (1937)
Bottom Rokeby Venus, René Magritte (1651)

Images of imaginary vanity. I am wondering: How is the phenomenon called depicting a mirror image that is seemingly endlessly multiplied in itself? Who knows the technical term and can name examples of its appearance in popular culture?
/HORST

Moonstruck

1. Neil Armstrong, 1969
2. Scott Listfield
3. Unknown
4. Thom Browne Spring/Summer 2011
5. GFAJ-1 bacteria

Alien microorganisms that constitute themselves of arsenic. I've always been fascinated by two things: dinosaurs and the space. Consequently I am thrilled by the latest NASA discovery. Another indicator for the fact that Alien Fashion might be outermost relevant very soon.
/HORST

Political Correctness

Electric chair, September 1992
Priest and Nun, September 1991
Bird, September 1992

Benetton advertisements. Another proof for the fact that everything was better in the 90s. Provocation was simple without being less effective. And Benetton logo sweatshirts were cool.
/HORST

A Short History Of Twins In Popular Culture

1. Karim Sadli, A Magazine curated by Riccardo Tisci, 2008
2. Lanvin, Spring/Summer 2007 Ad Campaign
3. Comme des Garçons, Spring/Summer 2011
4. Marilyn Minter, Twins, 2006
5. Yves Saint Laurent, Spring/Summer 1996 Ad Campaign
6. The Stoltzfus Twins, Bruce Weber, 1982
7. Olsen Twins
8. Stanley Kubrick, The Shining, 1980

As an aesthetic fetish of the fashion industry and grotesque vision in photography and music television the twin unites both: disgust and fascination. A multi-faceted phenomenon, engrained with celebrity and gossip culture as well as the pornographic context. Which iconic imagery must be appended to this catalogue?
/HORST

A Short History Of The Plastic Raincoat In Popular Culture

1. Kylie Minogue - Better The Devil You Know, 1990
2. Therese - Feelin' Me, 2007
3. Prada campaign, Fall/Winter 2002
4. Blade Runner, 1982

Thanks to gym television I've been confronted with the use of plastic raincoats in music videos. An interesting topic worth contemplating on. And of course several cross-references came to my mind. So my dear, what do you have to add to this discourse?
/HORST

Shopping Bag Fight

Moschino Cheap & Chic Fall/Winter 2010 vs. Tim Eitel 'Asphalt'

Mass consumption, kitsch and Neue Leipziger Schule. Unreflected gossip girl mentality versus social criticism? Status symbols versus irony? Besides all speculations and interpretations: What counts in the end is that you can wear your shopping bag as a hat this fall!
/HORST