Last week's Paris Men’s Fashion Week introduced a couple of major collaboration between the artists and the high-end fashion brand. One that caught our eye in particular is the collaboration between Maison Margiela and Tony Matelli. For his debut, artisanal menswear collection, the brand's creative director John Galliano invited the NY-based artist to exhibit four of his signature vanitas sculptures as a backdrop for the show.
Matelli created four different statues, all continuing his ongoing body of exceptional work he was introducing a couple of months ago at London's Marlborough Contemporary. Using the classic Greco-inspired concrete and marble statues as a base of his work, the artist is embellishing these familiar aged objects with fresh ripe fruit, creating a sense of vanitas concept. Roman warriosr lies on the ground covered with strawberries and mango slices, a female bust is adorned with parts of orange and limes or watermelon slices are resting atop of broken marble statues. Cast in bronze or glass, these mind-boggling realistic additions are in direct contrast with the crumbling textures and look of the main sculpture, symbolic depicting the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death. Scattered through the show space the works certainly added a sense of class, elegance, and eccentricity to the entire event, while individually working as stand-out art pieces. —Sasha Bogojev
Photos by Joelle Diderich
