Love & Loss - Fashion and Mortality @ Lentos Art Museum Linz, Austria

Even though Upper Austria (or Austria in general) is quite a small country, it has a lot to offer when it comes to cultural events. When I read the post, which was provided by the Vogue Germany Facebook page, that this fabulous fashion exhibition is coming to Linz, I was more than excited I was thrilled to be exact.

Nothing brings Love and Loss better together than the world of fashion. What today is loved can be thrown into the trashcan tomorrow and is lost forever. Trends can never actually achieve that mortality status, unless your name is Karl Lagerfeld and you are the head designer of Chanel, of course. People get rid of clothes everyday, not because they are no longer wearable, but they never reach the mortality level.

The exhibition is massively influenced by the 80s era till today which appears to be the generation of melancholy and living the attitude of rebellion. The experimental expression is mirrored by the dark paintings, which greet you in a mysterious way, while entering the exhibition. But at the same time the hall is full of light and filled with intense dark pigments.

Designers like Maison Margiela (formally known as Maison Martin Margiela) and Rei Kawakobu as well as other outstanding designers, show certain deformation can be part of the fashion concept and simultaneously be considered as a new form of art - it’s the mixture that really stands out here. Just like the now famously popular (and loved by the whole Kardashian clan) ripped jeans, which were first brought to life by designs of Margiela himself, show that deformation after all can be wearable and found in our own closets.

 

The new aesthetic is also dominated by Alexander McQueen, which is not surprising, considering his massive influence when it comes to the dark place called “creativity” in the fashion world. The fabrics used by the designers, which are displayed in the exhibition, are quiet odd and may seem inconvenient at first.

The “crying dress” from Mika Satomi and Hannah Perner-Wilson’s 2012 collection, better known as the collective duo called “Kobakant” who are collaborating since the mid 2000s, are famous for using electronics and their explorative use of textile crafts. The combination of LEDs with cotton, feathers with copper wire and silk with capacitors are expressing one criticism in mind,  the “high-tech” society we live in today. Against all odds, this beautiful and unique dress is still made to be wearable and continues the spirit that their pieces are made to “better fit our personal needs and desires”.

“The crying Dress”, Kobakant, 2012.

The exhibition sticks truly by its name as the dark colours, which without a doubt represent the “loss” part, surround you. The “love” part on the other hand, is not recognizable at first, as it comes in lots of different shapes and patterns. Or you might even love to lose, which would sum up both, the fashion aspect and the mortality, which comes within.

When I first saw the Viktor & Rolf piece “The Coral Dress” from the spring collection 2010, I was quiet shocked someone would destroy something so beautiful on purpose. But then I had to realize, there was no way this dress could ever reach mortality, it was doomed either way. They basically saved the piece from being destroyed, by destroying it first, in this case - with a chainsaw and the surprisingly very geometric outcome. This may sound overly poetic, but nonetheless that’s the exact feeling you get delivered in this exhibition, it’s a strong combination of melancholy and the dedication to black humour. The black humour aspect is especially based on the thought in the world of fashion everything needs to look neat and as close to perfection as possible.

However sometimes the rebels’ aesthetic can be the key to success. We more and more see models on the runway that don’t look like the other ones walking behind them, they let us focus on their uniqueness and combine it with the clothes and designers they are representing.

It is safe to say uniqueness in its own kind is the most fitting way to describe the Love and Loss Exhibition at the Lentos Art Museum. All those unique pieces next to each other may have a similar philosophy and intention behind it, but the designers express them in a different way and look. This is what makes them so special.

Note: If you’re a fashion or art enthusiast living near or in Austria, I highly recommend this exciting exhibition at the Lentos Museum of Art, Linz. (Entry cost: 8 Euros)