MARCIA KURE in her first solo exhibition at Susan Inglett Gallery

saw nigerian artist marcia kure’s work “dressed up” at the susan inglett gallery in chelsea, ny. “The series suggests that the sense of decorum and gravitas conveyed by haute couture/Victorian fashion belies the colonial violence and decadence of that age; conversely, the near criminalization of hip-hop fashion fails to contend with the humanity of many of its avatars or their status as respectable global citizens.”

“Dressed Up” was conceived while conducting research at the Smithsonian Archives as a Smithsonian Artist-Fellow in 2008. The series consists of full-length photomontage portraits of characters dressed in runway mash-ups drawn from two distinct cultural eras: the 19th Century Victorian and present day hip-hop. The Victorian era, the Age of Empire and colonization, while no longer “in fashion” remains salient in the post-colonial age through remnants of oppressive global, political, and economic structures and systems. In contrast, Hip-hop fashion was originally conceived as part of a performative, radical, social politic in the United States. The attendant music and lifestyle served as powerful platforms from which to challenge entrenched systems of sartorial propriety.

In bringing the two traditions into direct confrontation, these photomontages play on preconceptions as well as the manner in which we imagine or project personality through dress.

More here.

marcia kure’s “dressed up”