The Fashion World of Jean-Paul Gautier – from the Sidewalk to the Catwalk at the De Young (until August 19)
Cindy Sherman at SFMOMA (until October 8)
One of the advantages of living in any world-class city is having access to cultural events not readily available to most. I don’t make it as often as I would like to museums, plays or gallery openings, but it’s nice to have all of those things around for when I do make it out.
Having made more of an effort recently, I was rewarded with two exhibits that were well worth the visit: Jean-Paul Gautier at the De Young and Cindy Sherman at SFMOMA.
I wasn’t immediately struck with the common thematic thread running through these two exhibits, but both Sherman and Gautier present identity in a theatrical and complex way. If Sherman intrigues us with reflecting back to us the many faces we present to the world, Gautier helps us fashion those faces.
The idea that fashion can rise to the level of artistic expression is no longer controversial in the art world but has not always been the case. While the valid concern about museums become too closely aligned with commercial interests still persists, as it should, that doesn’t mean that a designer who is making what would be seen as art if it weren’t utilitarian (i.e. if it were just for viewing and not for wearing) should be excluded from a museum’s space.
At the very least, many haute couture shows may be seen as a form of performance art and there are a few designers whose runway collections seem to exist solely to a make an aesthetic, social or political point (such as, Partrick Mohr); haute couture designers of all stripes intend to challenge our expectations about clothing and aesthetics.
Seeing Gaultier’s work in-person, is an ethereal experience. Well-executed high fashion is all about the details, which you can’t truly appreciate from a photograph or video. The lighting, music and structure of the exhibit lend a sense of exuberance and excitement to the proceedings that can oftentimes lack from fashion-related exhibits at many museums.
As for Sherman, I see her less as a photographer and more as a performance artist who shares her art via photography. As Sherman herself is the sole human subject of her work, Sherman’s challenge is reinterpreting her own identity for each individual work. Because of this overarching theme in Sherman’s work, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to truly appreciate much of her work on a stand-alone basis. But that’s not to say that individual pieces are not visually arresting.
Photo courtesy of SFMOMA
Sherman’s brilliance is in the stunning way in which is captures the soul of a particular identity and reflects it back to the viewer in a way that is both iconic and personal: we recognize the category of person she is portraying but we also know that person. You may even encounter yourself staring back at you.
After journeying through several rooms of her work, it becomes obvious that Sherman pours a tremendous amount of time and effort into planning and executing each photograph, which only serves to make her body of work even more remarkable. As Gaultier must design and craft each creation with a character in mind, so Sherman composes the elements of each identity she wishes to present. Each of these artists may lead us along a different path, but, for the viewer, the destination feels similar and equally as awe-inspiring.