When Vikki Kassioras and I first talked about doing the Black exhibition, I was reading a book on black by Michel Pastoureau - Black. The History of a Colour.
Both Vikki and myself have used black as a colour in our respective work for many years, so it seemed right to explore it further in an exhibition together.
Often black is viewed negatively, but I have never felt that way about it as a colour. I have always found it interesting.
My feelings about this were clarified in a discussion about the colour black that I had with Steph Williams when we were working on the exhibition Kodama at e.g.etal.
Steph told me that she had not fully understood black as a colour until she worked at the Dover Street Market for Comme des Garcons. In understanding the work of Rei Kawakubo, Steph also came to understand the significance of black. Steph writes that:
"Rei Kawakubo uses black to simplify yet strengthen her work. By not complicating a piece of clothing with colour, it enables her to fully focus on the structure of the piece and really highlighting the way it interacts, moves and morphs the body. She is the master of using black to create movement and life."
all images from here
Both Vikki and myself have used black as a colour in our respective work for many years, so it seemed right to explore it further in an exhibition together.
Often black is viewed negatively, but I have never felt that way about it as a colour. I have always found it interesting.
My feelings about this were clarified in a discussion about the colour black that I had with Steph Williams when we were working on the exhibition Kodama at e.g.etal.
Steph told me that she had not fully understood black as a colour until she worked at the Dover Street Market for Comme des Garcons. In understanding the work of Rei Kawakubo, Steph also came to understand the significance of black. Steph writes that:
"Rei Kawakubo uses black to simplify yet strengthen her work. By not complicating a piece of clothing with colour, it enables her to fully focus on the structure of the piece and really highlighting the way it interacts, moves and morphs the body. She is the master of using black to create movement and life."
all images from here