Art of the In-Between Closes Sept. 4
If you’ve ever wanted the rare opportunity to see some of Rei Kawakubo’s sartorial works of art up close you’ve been formally reminded: Labor Day Weekend is your last chance.
If you’re anything like us, we know you’re busy prepping for New York Fashion Week, but few people can argue the importance of Rei Kawakubo in the international fashion landscape (or indeed, in fashion history).
Her way of looking at things is decidedly deconstructionist, looking at the space between forms: rather like the Buddhistic concept of śūnyatā, or the emptiness at the center of being; or the Humean idea that identity, itself, is not codified or certain.
Her way of looking at things is decidedly deconstructionist
The exhibition, which features around 140 examples of Kawakubo’s womenswear designs, is an exciting chance to learn more about her destruction of the binary, as she unravels our ideas of both fashion and identity.
she deconstructs our ideas of both fashion and identity
But hurry, Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between, closes on Monday, September 4.
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The exhibition examines Kawakubo’s fascination with interstitiality, or the space between boundaries. In Kawakubo’s work, this in-between space is revealed as an aesthetic sensibility, establishing an unsettling zone of visual ambiguity that challenges conventional notions of beauty, good taste, and fashionability. A thematic exhibition, rather than a traditional retrospective, this is The Costume Institute’s first monographic show on a living designer since the Yves Saint Laurent exhibition in 1983.
The exhibition examines Kawakubo’s fascination with the space between boundaries
On Friday, September 1, MetFridays: In-Between Fashion will feature a fashion design contest showcasing the work of graduate and undergraduate student designers directly inspired by the exhibition. A panel discussion with Greg Foley, Shelley Fox, and Phil Oh, moderated by Andrew Bevan, will focus on street style as a global phenomenon. Visitors can also participate in drop-in art-making activities, and the popular fashion illustrator Holly Nichols will be drawing on-site. There will also be a dance party with music by DJ Reborn in the American Wing Café.
This MetFridays event takes place at The Met Fifth Avenue from 5 to 9 p.m. and is free with Museum admission.
The Costume Institute gives thanks to Apple, Condé Nast, Farfetch, H&M, Maison Valentino, and Warner Bros. for their support of the exhibition and benefit.
The exhibition is featured on the Museum’s website, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter via #MetKawakubo and #CostumeInstitute.
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With love,
FWO
