ONE SHOULD EITHER BE A WORK OF ART, OR WEAR A WORK OF ART ~ Oscar Wilde
Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery is set to open 2010 in style with three fabulous fashion shows with distinct Asian sensibilities.
Timeframe: High Tea with Mrs Woo showcases the work of the acclaimed Hunter-based fashion design team, Rowena, Juliana and Angela Foong. They, together with curator Meryl Ryan, present an intriguing installation representing a crossroads perspective on their career to date. Classic pieces from the archive are paired with translucent garments representing those pieces’ possible future counterparts.
The three sisters, of Chinese-Malaysian heritage, have developed a unique ‘collective aesthetic’ strongly influenced by memories of their cultural background.
They have established outlets in Newcastle, and more recently in Paddington, as well as an emerging international profile. Their motto ‘Life is like a cup of tea, it’s all in how you make it’ certainly rings true in this exhibition.
A gallery project curated by Meryl Ryan
Contemporary Japanese fashion: the Gene Sherman collection
This exhibition features selected work by Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo (Comme des Garçons) and accessories by Akira Isogawa. Curators Claire Roberts and Min-Jung Kim have made the selection from over 60 objects donated by Dr Sherman to the Powerhouse Museum in 2009.
In the early 1980s these designers stunned the fashion world with innovative collections. Unlike much Western fashion, tailored to fit the contours of the body, their garments were asymmetrical, unstructured and oversized, drawing on features that derive from traditional Japanese aesthetics and dress.
Dr Sherman made her first trip to Japan in 1987 and felt ‘instantly at home’. She has returned frequently, assembling a wardrobe of contemporary Japanese fashion that has become integral to an expression of her identity clearly illustrated in this elegant exhibition.
An exhibition presented in collaboration with the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney
FRUiTS: Tokyo street style – photographs by Shoichi Aoki
Featuring more than 60 images taken by Japanese photographer Shoichi Aoki in Tokyo between 1997 and 2002, these striking portraits provide a fascinating insight to the lives of a group of young Japanese people who express their individuality and fixations through their clothing.
Rather than following European and American trends, youth customise elements of traditional Japanese dress – kimono, obi sashes and geta sandals – and combining them with handmade, second-hand and alternative designer fashion, and sometimes accessories such as toys, in an innovative ‘DIY’ approach to dressing. The exhibition is insightful and zany, but definitely inspiring.
A touring exhibition developed by the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, in association with Shoichi Aoki
