A Better Mistake SS23 Debuts @ Milan Fashion Week

 
 

photographs by Spyros Rennt

Taking part for the first time at Milan Fashion Week, A Better Mistake presents a preview of their genderless Spring/Summer ’23 collection and their latest series of see-now-buy-now drops, which include “Influx”, a collaboration with visual artist Kushlet, “Aoi”, and the freshly launched “Persona.”

A Better Mistake “Eternal” explores the intersection of digital and physical worlds, and seeks to define the value of the digital as a whole within the installation “Alter Dimensions.”

For Spring/Summer ‘23 “Eternal”, the brand’s iconic Touch Me intarsia garments, made of high-end Italian viscose and techno yarn, appear in a new acid green variant. The silk twinset is crafted in an exclusive, thick silk fabric, in a diagonal structure. The “Eternal” print, created by NY-based artist Running File, appears across a variety of items: the quilted “Eternal” jacket with engineered print placement in the front and the back, the silk shirt with additional “Chromo” print on the chest, and the technical dress in a tight & short silhouette. The “Eternal” denim look is made of hand-sprayed organic cotton.

The “Hero” print from the collaboration with Running File is applied to hoodies and T-shirts, as well as a twinset of shirt and shorts in an ultra light fabric. The print quite literally sets the tone for the whole collection, merging the blues, lilac, and shades of purple in other looks. The “Gate” graphic was created by Milan-based artist Ultra Creature and morphs into the Modular earrings.

The brand’s best-selling pajama look now comes in two different fabrics — a striped gray and blue viscose version, and a monochromatic lilac jacquard in “Chromo” monogram — half matte, half satin.

Last but not least, a special collaboration with The End is Near, called “God’s Mistake” is presented, composed of two incredible handmade pieces, a custom-made dress and a sci-fi face mask.

Spring/Summer ‘23 marks the introduction of the “Artist Collection” conceived for collaborations on show pieces, which is kicked off with a true highlight — an acid yellow tailored look that features a “Chromo” transfer to the sleeve, and is finished by hand in aerosol shades of gray and black.
The presentation, in collaboration with queer creatives from Berlin, brings the German capital’s underground mindset to Milan. It takes place at A Better Mistake’s headquarters, a transdisciplinary creative space located on Via Fusetti 8, on the Naviglio Grande, one of the city’s most evocative and vibrant areas.

The collection is not presented on your regular model type. It comes to life on dancers and performance artists from a wide variety of backgrounds. Rather than a simple showcase of clothes, the presentation aims to express and embody its values with an unbridled, artful approach. Dancers hailing from Milano’s major international theater La Scala share the stage with the voguing and rave scenes in a firework of identities.

 
 

The installation “Alter Dimensions” completes the performance through sound. Two Berlin-based DJs, Alva and Raven, manifest the concept of warped dimensions as they perform in a futuristic and sound proof glass pod. “Alter Dimensions” explores and develops the different forms of artificial space, ranging between digital, physical and the metaverse. What is actually real, what isn’t? The interaction between the installation and the performers is integral to the presentation. A transdisciplinary approach forms the core of A Better Mistake, along with the creation of safe spaces where people are free to experiment, experience, and express.

The experimental spectacle is documented by the analog lens of internationally-renowned, Berlin-based photographer Spyros Rennt and distilled into a movie, as envisioned by A Better Mistake’s Creative Director Madame_Inc, and movie director Byron Rosero.

Ahmet Öğüt Presents "A:PPOINTED D:IRECTORS" @ A:D: Curatorial in Berlin

Jump Up! , 2022 Ahmet Öğüt

Ahmet Öğüt
Jump Up! , 2022 
Installation, with 3 selected works from the museum collection,  3 trampolines 

A:PPOINTED D:IRECTORS by Kurdish-Dutch artist, Ahmet Öğüt at A:D:Curatorial deals with institutional critique as well as a number of sociopolitical precarities, questioning the role of art institutions and artists themselves.

“A museum is a not-for-profit, permanent institution in the service of society that researches, collects, conserves, interprets and exhibits tangible and intangible heritage. Open to the public, accessible and inclusive, museums foster diversity and sustainability. They operate and communicate ethically, professionally and with the participation of communities, offering varied experiences for education, enjoyment, reflection and knowledge sharing.”

—International Council of Museums, August 24th, 2022

This recently approved new definition of the museum by ICOM is very aspiring, yet still, some objectives are far from reality. Therefore, it is the role of art professionals to find new strategies to achieve these objectives. How may we balance our roles between addressing urgent issues and not falling back into the complicit patterns of the art world? Sometimes smaller institutions can enable strategies to experiment with new formats more easily.

Topics such as museum collections, exhibition displays, public interactions, and institutional representations are addressed throughout the show, using both playful and challenging strategies. Visitors can immediately become part of the show with the installation Jump Up! by jumping on small trampolines to see selected works, which hang above eye level. Another work, No Institutional Abuse Zone, marks the area but also tries to put the same standards and parallels between human affairs and artist-institution relationships. Resulting from a google search, Appointed Curators is a collection of closely cropped portraits underscoring the prevalence of curators who choose to represent themselves with arms crossed. Those who assume this posture are often perceived as being angry, closed off, or feeling overwhelmed. This ironic take on self-representation reminds us of the importance of care, transparency, and a welcoming culture in art institutions. A:PPOINTED D:IRECTORS will be on view from October 9th - December 15th at A:D: Curatorial: Kurfürstenstraße 142, 10785 Berlin.

portrait by Ateş Alpar

Ahmet Öğüt
Appointed Curators, 2022 
250cm x 200cm 
poster 

Rakeem Cunningham Presents Hero @ Ochi Projects In Los Angeles

 
 

In his first solo exhibition with Ochi Projects, Rakeem Cunningham plays and poses alone in his studio, exploring a multitude of selves informed and surrounded by a multiverse of niche subcultures. Each portrait is a declaration of subjectivity and existence—proof of self-validation and an ongoing healing journey that expands upon an outdated definition of hero.

Triggered by the designation of essential workers as heroes while being treated as disposable this past year, Cunningham paused to reflect upon his relationship to this loaded word. As a queer youth of color, he idolized heroes that didn’t look like him. Lazy metaphors—green or purple villains dressed in evil black—reinforced false dichotomies and ultimately white supremacy.

Hero is on view through June 26 through August 7 @ Ochi Projects 3301 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019

TEFAF New York Spring 2018: A Dynamic Second Edition

This year’s Fair features 90 of the world’s most illustrious dealers in modern and contemporary art and design, with 24 new participants, including Gagosian, Gladstone Gallery, Hauser & Wirth, Marian Goodman Gallery, Lévy Gorvy, Matthew Marks Gallery, Mnuchin Gallery, Taffin, White Cube, and more. The exhibition is on view through May 8 at TEFAF Park Avenue Armory, New York City. photographs by Ava Berlin.

Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s Solo Exhibition "Just Another Step on the Staircase" @ Werkartz

Just Another Step on the Staircase is an exhibition of paintings and drawings by Michael Lindsay-Hogg. Organized by Price Latimer, this is the first exhibition of Lindsay-Hogg’s work in the U.S. since 2015. Now, in his late career, he has embraced a manner of painting that comprises vivid psychological portraits not unlike those of Max Beckmann, Howard Finster and Paul Klee. The work is in many ways a direct form of creative expression with little regard for self-aggrandizing or promotion, rather identifying with direct moments that connect with eroticism, innocence and everyday human drama. The show is open through May 13th at Werkartz 927 S. Santa Fe Avenue Los Angeles. photographs by Oliver Kupper

"Beyond The Streets" Showcases Works by the Guerrilla Girls, Dennis Hopper, Takashi Murakami, and More

BEYOND THE STREETS (BTS) is the premier exhibition of graffiti, street art and beyond, celebrating the soaring heights to which the world’s most recognizable modern art movement has risen. BTS is a groundbreaking multimedia showcase of paintings, sculpture, photography, installations and more throughout 40,000+ sq ft of industrial indoor and outdoor space. The exhibition is curated by Roger Gastman, with additional curation by Evan Pricco, Caleb Neelon, and David Villorente. Beyond the Streets is on view through through July 6 at Werkartz 1667 N. Main Street, Los Angeles. photographs by Oliver Kupper

Lilian Martinez's "Woman and Women" Opens @ Ochi Projects

Woman and Women expounds upon Martinez’ interest in exploring alternate histories where women,  particularly women of color, are not excluded from specific cultural narratives typically  associated with privilege. Through her paintings, sculptures, and works on paper, Martinez  blends past with present and future, combining classical architectural elements with  contemporary pop cultural references to create the settings for her portraits, landscapes, and still lives. Her flat, bold style recalls iconic predecessors like Matisse, while her subject matter  prioritizes brown bodies that have been heretofore omitted from these kinds of images. Woman and Women is on view through June 9 at Ochi Projects 3301 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles. photographs by Lani Trock

Kat Olschbaur's Solo Show "Wilde Reiter" @ Oof Books

In this particular body of work, Kat Olschbaur explores motifs typically associated with the American West; as the name of the show and the artist’s painting style signal, however, the meaning of these images are multi-tier. Many of Olschbaur’s native association with riders on horseback are apocalyptic, deadly, seductive, or indicative of insanity. "Wilde Reiter" is on view through May 20 at Oof Books 912A Cypress Avenue Los Angeles. photographs by Lani Trock

New Photography 2018 @ MoMA In New York

Every two years, MoMA’s celebrated New Photography exhibition series presents urgent and compelling ideas in recent photography and photo-based art. This year’s edition, Being, asks how photography can capture what it means to be human. The exhibition is on view through August 19 at The Museum of Modern Art 11 West 53 Street, Manhattan New York. photographs by Adam Lehrer

Jim Shaw Exhibition @ Metro Pictures in New York

Jim Shaw's current exhibition at Metro Pictures contextualizes the personal with layers hyper-mediated symbology drawn from mythological and historical narratives. The paintings, sculpture, and video in this exhibition both interpret and allude to ancient legends like the rape of Europa and the biblical prophecies of the Old Testament, often rendering them beyond immediat recognition. Jim Shaw's exhibition will be on view until December 22nd, 2017 at Metro Pictures, 519 West 24th Street, New York, NY 10011. photographs by Adam Lehrer

Anish Kapoor Stainless Steel Sculptures @ Lisson Gallery in Milan

For his first exhibition in Milan’s Lisson Gallery, Anish Kapoor presents a new series of fourteen steel sculptures, stainless and polished, twisted through an unspecified number of degrees. These small scale twists - thirty centimeters by height - are shown for the first time as an entire group, placed together in a room, interacting with one another and with the public by creating fluid reflections, which disrupt and dismantle any stable imagery: their original pre-twisted form becomes impossible to detect and the space around them turns into a surreal mixture of reality and reflection, continuously changing according to one’s vision and perspective . The artist has referred to similar sculptures as “non – objects”, losing themselves almost completely because of their unidentifiable geometry and their highly reflective material. One larger twist (100 cm) is placed outside on the terrace. Just like in some of his best –known works such as the Cloud Gate in Chicago’s and the C-Curve at the Chateau De Versailles, Anish Kapoor once again explores the idea of the curve. In this particular case his twisted forms somehow provide an optical vision of the universe by warping the light on its way through space and tilting our intuition to one side, presenting to the viewer a distorted vision of reality which is totally subjective to his point of view. The exhibition will be on view until July 22nd at Lisson Gallery Milan (via Zenale 3, Milan). text and photographs by Sarah Kaufman

Sophie Calle Installs Safes For Storing Lovers' Secrets At Fraenkel Gallery In San Francisco

"Find a couple. Have each of them tell me a secret. Install two safes in their home. Lock each secret up in its own safe. Keep the codes to myself. The lovers will have to live with the other’s secret close at hand but out of reach." Fraenkel Gallery presents an exhibition of work by Sophie Calle. Calle uses photography, text, and video to pursue her sociological and autobiographical investigations. Her exhibition at Fraenkel Gallery focuses on four bodies of work in which the artist delves into the nature of love, violence, secrets, and death. Among the works on view will be Secrets—a pair of working safes for storing a couple’s secrets, accompanied by a plaque engraved with the above text and the artist’s contract stipulating how these mysteries will remain secured. Writing is often integral to Calle’s work, as in her 2014 triptych Suicide (also on view), in which photographs of dark ripples on the surface of black water are accompanied by text sandblasted on glass: “They say the police can distinguish between people who drown themselves for love and those who drown themselves for money…” Featured in this exhibition will be two series incorporating portraits from ‘ready-made’ sources and addressing themes of privacy and violence. Calle’s Cash Machine photographs are made from ATM video surveillance footage, and each work is exhibited as a sequence of two to eleven images. Collateral Damage, Targets is a series comprised of images of petty criminals’ mugshots, which were used for police target practice. The exhibition will be on view until December 24, 2015 at Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco. photographs by Bradley Golden

A Sneak Peek Of Frank Stella's Retrospective Exhibition At the Whitney In New York

On October 30th Frank Stella’s major retrospective opens at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. The survey marks the first retrospective at the new location and encompasses around 120 works from mid 1950’s to the The entire fifth floor has been taken over by Stella’s large-scale paintings and sculptures, divided by floating walls that mark the different stages in the artist’s career. The 18,000-square-foot gallery is set up as a timeline that starts with Stella’s iconic work Die Fahne Hoch!, from 1959, with which the artist , 23 at the time, marked his rebellion against the strict limitations of Abstract Expressionism. The retrospective impressively manages to reconstruct the different stages in Stella’s practice, emphasizing especially lesser-known pieces made between the 1980’s and 2000’s. It is in this way that the artist’s natural progression into sculptural works unfolds for the visitor, as well as giving a clear understanding of why Stella continuous to call his work paintings. The metal structures, embedded with 3-D printed elements, tower seemingly weightless from the gallery walls and are reminiscent of canvases packed and layered with paint as in the case of “At Sainte Luce!”. It is in these moments that Stella’s personality and unwillingness to confirm to rigid definitions shines through. Frank Stella: A Retrospective will open tomorrow and run until February 7, 2017 at the Whitney, 99 Gansevoort Street New York, NY. photographs and text by Adriana Pauly

When Savage Culture Was The Norm: Smiler Captures The Wayward Visages Of London's Squatters

An exhibition of unseen photographs by Smiler (aka Mark Cawson) of London squats from the late 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s is currently on view at the ICA in London. The content of the exhibition focuses on a body of work that Smiler mainly shot between West London and Kings Cross. The exhibition consists of black and white images taken on an analogue camera. “I used the camera like a storm anchor helping me to navigate and freeze a spinning world of change and flux.” Smiler Against the backdrop of social and political upheaval, young people across the city were drawn to squats by the prospect of a place to live, but also by an identity and a sense of community. Smiler’s photographs document the people who lived in squats across the city, at a time when salvage culture was the norm. Smiler: Photographs of London by Mark Cawson will be on view at the ICA until November 29, 2015, 12 Carlton House Terrace London