MANIFESTO

#61

ART NOW

"FIGURES OF SPEECH"

2022.09.13

The Brooklyn Museum hosts until January 29, 2023 Virgil Abloh: “Figures of Speech”, a reminder that the art has no limit and live to infinity. 

The multidisciplinary work of late visionary artist and designer Virgil Abloh (Rockford, Illinois, 1980–2021, Chicago, Illinois) has reshaped how we understand the role of fashion, art, design, and music in contemporary culture. Virgil Abloh: “Figures of Speech,” developed by the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, is the first museum exhibition devoted to Abloh’s work and spans two decades of his practice, including collaborations with artist Takashi Murakami, musician Kanye West, and architect Rem Koolhaas, among others; any kind of materials from his fashion label Off-White; and items designed for Maison Louis Vuitton. Newly added for the Brooklyn Museum’s presentation are never-before-seen objects from the artist’s archive, as well as a “social sculpture,” which draws upon Abloh’s background in architecture. The installation offers a space for gathering and performances, and is designed to counter the historical lack of freedom of expression afforded to Black artists and Black people in cultural institutions. “Figures of Speech” traces Abloh’s exploration of the communicative power of design. His use of language and quotation marks turns his designs, and the people who engage with them, into literal figures of speech. The artist uses the Black gaze to dismantle the traditionally white-crafted structures at work in fashion, design, architecture, and art, reconstructing new work through the lens of the Black cultural experience and typical elements of the street style, ambience where he grew up.

Above: “FUNCTIONAL ART,” 2021 Below: “PINK PANTHER,” 2019
T-shirt for Supreme c/o Virgil AblohTM, 2019

EXHIBITION

SARAH LUCAS

2023.09.25

London’s Tate Britain presents HAPPY GAS, Sarah Lucas’ solo exhibition exploring the British artist’s forty years of work.

CINEMA

ASTEROID CITY BY WES ANDERSON

2023.09.22

Anderson’s new film is about a desert town where a group of young geniuses gather for an invention contest. It is a dreamlike place, à la Anderson, where the universe, the meaning of life and the meaning of death are contemplated. Like any place of the director, it is unexplored and unknown…

PHOTOGRAPHY

LUIGI & IANGO. UNVEILED

2023.09.21

A visionary creative expression characterized by breaking roles and codes, the invention and construction of characters that create a unique visual narrative, but above all reveal a truth that only Luigi & Iango know how to capture.

SPRÜTH MAGERS

NORA TURATO

2023.09.15

Playing with a direct, fast-paced wording and an instant, common lexicon, Nora Turato creates new recounting and convincing connections. Her work involves the comment and adaptation of existing material, slightly processing their forms and meanings.

FASHION

REBEL: 30 Years of London Fashion

2023.09.15

The exhibition represents a close collaboration between The Design Museum in London and the British Fashion Council, carried out by exploring the artistic and creative work of different designers revolving around London’s reality. Clothes and fashion accessories are the focus of the survey carried out for REBEL.