WGW 2018: Prêt-à-porter, Lokal_30 Gallery

“Prêt-à-porter”
Artists: Maria Anto, Ewa Bloom-Kwiatkowska, Karolina Breguła, Justyna Górowska, Zuzanna Janin, Ewa Juszkiewicz, Natalia LL, Jolanta Marcolla, Magdalena Moskwa, Małgorzata Markiewicz, Alicja Wysocka, Weronika Wysocka, Ewa Zarzycka 

During the opening from 7 PM to 9 PM: Eduarda Bones sisters DJ set.

Opening: Friday, 21.09.2018, 5PM
Gallery opening hours during Warsaw Gallery Weekend 2018: Saturday–Sunday, 22-23.09.2018, 12-7 PM
Exhibition: September 21, 2018 – December 21, 2018
Gallery opening times: Mon – Fri noon – 6 PM, Sat noon – 3 PM

The exhibition title refers to a breakthrough moment in the history of clothing in the 1950s, when the advent of the textile industry ushered in a democratisation of fashion, but also a domination of fashion companies, acute exploitation, overproduction and the dependence of a promoted look on business issues.

“Prêt-à-porter” concentrates on clothing as a means of expression used by women artists. Many of them tapped into attires for the needs of self-creation within a strategy that merged art with daily life. In the 1970s, women artists entered into dialogue with feminism – their work came to be informed by the consciousness of their own bodies and the impact of a consistently constructed image that served as an element of a creative strategy, while its distinctiveness became as a weapon in fighting for their deserved status. An adornment for centuries, attire not only began to underline individuality and uniqueness, but also became a tool with which to pursue a position in the art world as one saw fit, both through the strength of artistic practice and personality. In Poland under communism, original and trendy clothing demonstrated opposition to overwhelming dullness and ubiquitous shoddiness.

Attire as an element that expresses the spirit of the times also appears in the photographic and performative work of female artists who address the topic of the objectification of women by imposed canons of appearance. Distance to oneself and to activities associated with attractiveness or highlighting one’s artistic position through appearance seems only seemingly opposed to strategies of building one’s image. A critical approach very often bears relation to the questions of identity: the artist’s stance on the most important problems of the contemporary era. It becomes an element of mediation between the artist with her biography and the external world as well as universal matters.

An equally important problem addressed by the artists are the ethical and ecological issues related to the modern-day textile industry and exploitation in Asian and African sweatshops that mainly cater for the rich North, which processes hundreds of thousands tons of clothes every month. These clothes later end up at a landfill site or in a pseudo-charity business circulation. Combining fashion with social activism, the artists choose a different model of work, based on the traditions of Polish cooperatives and fostering the professional and financial emancipation of textile workers.

The exhibition opens on September 21–23 within the Warsaw Gallery Weekend 2018. Friday evening features a DJ set by Eduarda Bones. Saturday begins with a breakfast with the artist at 12:30 PM and a performance by the fashion designer and artist Pat Guzik and the performer WetMeWild (Justyna Górowska). The performance relies on Pat Guzik’s collection made of used and unwanted clothes to propagate the idea of sustainable fashion.

The exhibition is accompanied by actions and performances as well as a meeting within the forthcoming Feminist Seminar on October 6 at noon.

More info: lokal30.pl / warsawgalleryweekend.pl
The exhibition is part of the Warsaw Gallery Weekend 2018

lokal_30
Wilcza 29a/12
Warszawa
wejście w bramie / entrance in the gate
V piętro / 5th floor