Stylized Sculpture: Contemporary Japanese Fashion from the Kyoto Costume Institute
October 12, 2007–January 6, 2008
Hambrecht & Lee Galleries
Japanese fashion: It’s more than meets the eye.
Conceived by acclaimed artist Hiroshi Sugimoto, this special exhibition spotlights the sculptural essence of contemporary Japanese fashion through the works of Rei Kawakubo, Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, and others. Debuting alongside the 21 innovative creations of these celebrated designers are four never-before-seen black-and-white photographs by Sugimoto that capture the garments’ shadows, lines, and fullness of form.
On view exclusively at the Asian Art Museum, this is the first major exhibition to combine the collective talents of such leading Japanese fashion luminaries with new work by Hiroshi Sugimoto, one of today's most compelling artists.
The garments—borrowed from the Kyoto Costume Institute, one of the world's leading repositories of haute couture—date from 1983 to 2007, and include a range of materials and methods from various seasons...all "with textures, colors, and shapes worthy of definition as sculpture."
Dress and bodysuit, Spring/Summer 1999, by Junya Watanabe for Junya Watanabe Comme des Garçons. Cotton-polyester blend, metal rods, cotton. Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute, AC9762 1999-4-1AB. Photograph by Hiroshi Sugimoto, 2007.
Stylized Sculpture: Contemporary Japanese Fashion from the Kyoto Costume Institute was organized by the Asian Art Museum and the Kyoto Costume Institute; and curated by Kyoto Costume Institute chief curator Akiko Fukai, artist Hiroshi Sugimoto, and the Asian Art Museum, with the cooperation of Gallery Koyanagi and others. This exhibition is made possible by support from United Airlines, the Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation, and the Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation. Media sponsor: 7x7 Magazine.
