What’s the line between art and fashion these days? In an age of access – to visual stimuli, references, image-making tools and audiences – who makes an artist and what makes art?
As a fun exercise, we posed seven Singapore creatives this question; tasked them to interpret a surprise set of fashion pieces as art objects in the context of everyday life; and here are the surprising results.
“A dreamscape where scale knows no boundaries, and objects and humans are of surreal size. This imagery is inspired by the warm hug of a snug coat and the many ways of looking snug, which one can only dream about when living in a tropical country.”
– Photographer Elsa Wong, who’s also part of the art collective Pure Ever and a freelance set designer. More recently, she co-founded Tinyzin3, an online space in which she and a friend experiment with different ways of documenting materials, objects and people; the outcome usually turned into visuals for print and textiles. Here she interprets a wool coat, Hacker silk scarf, Hacker canvas bag and Crocs Madame rubber mules from Balenciaga. All other props, Wong’s own
“The current moment is a domestic one. It’s brought us back home: a place where food, family and simple pleasures like music, reading and sport exist together; a place where the heart lies. This object to me needed little adornment so it was best placed in my favourite nooks and corners of my home.”
– Anmari Van Nieuwenhove, whose arts management and consulting roles at the likes of the private members-only Mandala Club and a programme at Singapore Art Week (she’s keeping details under wraps for now) make appreciating art and culture more accessible. Here she interprets a Lee Radziwill Petite Double leather and brocade bag from Tory Burch. All other props, Van Nieuwenhove’s own
“Backstage at my next concert that’s taking place in a fourth dimension, fashioned by my own clone theory.”
– Creative director April Lee, who’s also one half of folk-rock duo Aspidistrafly, which is set to release Altar of Dreams – its first album in a little over 10 years – this February. Here she interprets a leather bag, and metal and lambskin choker with resin pearls from Chanel. (Opposite) A self-portrait with Lee in a cotton tweed jacket and embroidered cotton T-shirt, also from Chanel. All other props, Lee’s own
“In my photography, I enjoy working with the defects and inaccuracies of the printing medium. What I find visually striking in these Moncler pieces are their colours and translucency. The images are a reinterpretation of a textural landscape using a scanner, working with ideas of depth on a flat surface. I moved each piece while scanning, and made copies of the print using depleted ink cartridges so that a warm hue overlays the original colour.”
– Artist Liling Liu, whose artistic tools of choice are the camera and inkjet printer, and is fresh off a slate of successful shows in 2021. Her most recent double-bill exhibition with artist Chua Chye Teck included a pair of books featuring everyday snapshots, meant to be viewed simultaneously as a pictorial dialogue. Here she interprets nylon pants as well as a matching jacket from Moncler’s Moncler Grenoble line.
“To me, art should make one go ‘What the…’ when one first looks at it. I made these images with that in mind, using seemingly contradictory elements such as Scotch tape on these artisanal and elegant accessories from Bottega Veneta – my take on home improvement and sustainability.”
– FEMALE contributing fashion director Damian Huang. Here he interprets (clockwise from top left) the Arco leather bag, Lido leather sandals, Padded Cassette leather bag, and Pouch leather bag from Bottega Veneta
“This work is an autobiographical tableaux vivant celebration of life and its daily mundanities – from drinking a requisite kopi peng siew dai gao gao to snacking on a good epok-epok – all within an HDB estate. It highlights both social and aesthetic contrasts with the strong-lined checks on the coat and jacket playing off the neighbourhood.”
– Art director, consultant, visual artist and fashion educator Furqan Saini, whose guiding hand is ushering in an exciting new wave of fashion graduates from Lasalle College of the Arts. Here he interprets a wool-blend coat, matching jacket, Seoul cotton-blend jogger pants, Cavalcade leather and wool canvas bag, and Drift leather and canvas sneakers from Hermes
“Having an interest in women’s education and the history of girls’ schools in Singapore, I situated these images in front of the old Nan Hwa Girls’ High School. I’m interested in the social conduct that school values impart and how they continue into adulthood: What is the socially acceptable or desirable length of a skirt? Who gets to dictate formalities and etiquette? What does a ‘good’ woman look like?”
– Artist Stephanie Jane Burt, who’s also one half of the archival research project A Stubborn Bloom, which investigates femininity through the lens of fashion, film and objects. Here she interprets a grain de poudre wool jacket, matching skirt, metal earrings with crystals, Matelasse fabric bag, and patent leather pumps from Miu Miu. All other accessories, Burt’s own
This article first appeared in the Jan/Feb 2022 Art & Music: The Analogue Edition of FEMALE