New Griffin Art Projects exhibition combines fashion, live performance, and sci-fi

by Chandler Walter on August 22nd, 2023 at 1:19 PM

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If there was ever a time to realize that clothing can be so much more than just protection from the elements, it’s at the upcoming Griffin Art Projects’ SHIFT: Ecologies of Fashion, Form and Textile.

Running from September 16 to December 10 and curated by Lisa Baldissera, the exhibition aims to showcase how fashion can express everything from individuality to culture, from community to creativity.

“Fashion, textiles, and design comprise a rare component of the human experience that touches our everyday lives,” says Baldissera in a release. “Whether pieces are intricately handmade or created through the ‘fast fashion’ industry, each article marries necessary pragmatism with expressions of culture, community, individuality, and status. The exhibition addresses the personal economies of fashion by investigating how the clothing we wear every day implicitly and explicitly conveys our individual values to the external world.”

A highlight of the exhibition is a performance planned for opening night from Korean-Canadian artist Jaewoo Kang, whose Griffin Art Projects residency will culminate in the speculative sci-fi fashion performance we meet (up down). The work features five performers from different timelines walking the runway, with time—and costumes—transforming throughout the performance.

And that’s just day one. The months to come will see the exhibition showcase 17 artists presenting textiles through a medley of mediums, including fictional portraits by Canadian painter Janet Werner; German artist Olaf Holzapfel’s Lichtbild Atlas 4, featuring a traditional European braiding technique; and multidisciplinary artist China Adams’ Box #9, The Official Stitch + Hide Process, which creates hats out of folded textiles.

Other participating artists are Jason Dodge, Ulrich Horndasch, Brian Jungen, Annette Kelm, Philipp Lachenmann, Duane Linklater, Christiane Löhr, Medrie MacPhee, Liz Magor, Manuel Mathieu, Meret Oppenheim, Robert Rauschenberg, Wolfgang Tillmans, and Robert Youds.

Opening night is Friday, September 15 at Griffin Art Projects in North Vancouver. Those hoping to experience the exhibition between then and December 10 will be able to do so Fridays through Sundays from noon to 5pm.