Martin Margiela: In His Own Words
“I don’t like the idea of being a celebrity”. In this day and age of oversharing, such a statement might seem counterintuitive, but when it’s uttered by fashion’s most consistent recluse, it only makes sense and then some. “There are different needs in the fashion world and I’m not sure I can feed them,” says Martin Margiela in this 2019 documentary directed by Reiner Holzemer – the same director behind the recent Dries Van Noten documentary.
While you won’t quite get to see Margiela’s face (only his hands and voice), that’s something that been his trademark since he started his eponymous label in 1989. He’ll be speaking on his childhood, why he values anonymity and why he decided to leave fashion in 2009. Expect also appearances from industry heavyweights such as Jean Paul Gaultier (Margiela worked under him in the mid ’80s), Carine Roitfeld, Cathy Horyn and more. Tune in on April 10 to catch it on on-demand streaming platforms such as Apple. In His Own Words is distributed by British film distribution company Dogwoof.
Room Service
For the uninitiated, The Starving Artists is a new platform started by photographer/art director Rachel Loh that seeks to give underrepresented creatives and artists a democratised space to showcase their works beyond traditional art institutions. This Friday, they’ll be putting on their first live festival starring none other than Dean Chew, the well-respected DJ and co-founder of underground electronic label Darker Than Wax. Chew will be spinning a one hour set to raise awareness and supports for the local arts community. Details here. April 10, 7pm
PrayPal – I_S_L_A_N_D_S x Pure Ever
We first wrote about pop-up art space I_S_L_A_N_D_S in our January 2018 issue – an independent initiative by art gallery exhibitions executive Pey Chuan Tan with support from skate shop owner Ariff Shariff, it was located along an open corridor at Peninsular Shopping Center. Now Tan is back with its second incarnation in the basement of the nearby Excelsior Shopping Centre and its first exhibition is a collaboration with the young art collective Pure Ever. The focus of this exhibition? The occult as a medium to express, among other things, conscious and unconscious desires that cannot be “sustained” in reality. The exhibition launches this Friday online – check it out here. April 10, 7pm – 9pm
Listen to a podcast
There is no better time to check out podcasts if you’ve never given them a go before. If you consider yourself a fashion enthusiast, check out our recent story with fashion lecturer Daniela Monasterios-Tan on her extensive recommendations on the podcasts you should be tuning into. Best part? You can tune in anytime.
14 Days Stay Home Notice
Independent artist-run space Instinc has gathered 14 artists from Singapore and around the world for an exhibition cheekily titled 14 Days Stay Home Notice, in an attempt to make sense of the mandated isolation that pretty much the world at large is facing right now. In this unprecedented era, this feels extremely timely – after all, it is the arts we turn to when under lockdown – whether it’s books, movies, Netflix or music that you turn to, these are all art expressed across diverse mediums. Check out the pieces in the exhibition here. April 13-August 26
Main Photo Chuck Reyes
