Garmenting: Costume as Contemporary Art at the Museum of Arts and Design

"Mindfulness Activated Future Possibility Generator Storage
System and Access Point (MAFPGSSAP)" by Saya Wollfalk (2022)

"Garmenting: Costume as Contemporary Art" was a late addition to the line-up of shows to see during my trip to New York. Thank goodness it came to my friend Libbie's attention. The exhibit was unusual and exciting and a bit crazy. I loved it. 

Perhaps the most beautiful work of the show was Saya Woolfalk's "Mindfulness Activated Future Possibility Generator Storage System and Access Point (MAFPGSSAP)." What a title! The wall card explained as follows: "Woolfalk's work has long centered around the Empathics, a fictional race of women who physically metamorphose as they merge cultural identities and cross species...The Empathics' visual culture synthesizes diverse references - including Japanese kimono fabrics, West African textiles and regalia, Brailian Carnival costumes, Buddhist tanka paintings and interactive technologies..." It's a lot. But having watched Woolfalk's TedTalk, I now understand that her work asks a basic question: What world do you want to live in? The vision of Woolfalk and her collaborators is one of "bewilderment and awe" in which people have graduated from the Institute of Empathy. Hybridity is a key concept and comes from Woolfalk's own background as an African American/European American/Japanese American. Her work is fascinating, if a bit out there. To watch Woolfalk's TedTalk, click here. For her website, click here. 

"February II" by Devan Shimoyama (2019) 

Back on Planet Earth, things aren't so cheery. "February II" by Devan Shimoyama is a tribute to Trayvon Martin. As I'm sure you recall, Martin was the Black teenager who was shot and killed by George Zimmerman after he thought Martin was reaching into the pocket of his hoodie for a gun. (It was a package of skittles.) Zimmerman was acquitted of all charges. 

While I want to focus on the art, I am shocked by what a truly despicable human being George Zimmerman is. A quick Google search revealed that instead of taking stock of his life after killing a young man, Zimmerman has doubled down on his hatred. In addition to a resume that includes threatening girlfriends with violence, gun charges and the like, there are a couple of stand out moments. In 2018, he auctioned off the gun he used to kill Martin. The winning bid was almost $140,000. I have no words. Flush from his windfall, Zimmerman brought a civil lawsuit in 2019 for $100M in damages against Martin's family for conspiracy, defamation and unlawful prosecution. (The suit was recently dismissed.) He needs to go to Wollfalk's Institute of Empathy. 

Shimoyama's work typically focuses on self-portraiture and narratives inspired by classical mythology and allegory. He is best known as a painter who embellishes his work with glitter and sequins, feathers and fur. So it wasn't a big leap for him to use a cotton hoodie as his canvas for his homage to Martin and its implicit critique of racism. The flowers call to mind bouquets left not only on graves but street corners and other places where deaths have occurred. For more on Shimoyama, click here. 

"Patina du Prey's Drag Pose Cage 
(Simon Watson Gallery" by Hunter Reynolds (1990)

Then there was Hunter Reynolds' "Patina du Prey's Drag Pose Cage (Simon Watson Gallery)." Patina du Prey is Reynold's "half drag alter ego." His Drag Pose series is what he calls a "third gender exploration." Reynolds would wear make-up and female clothing but no wig and his chest hair would be on full display. He was surprised when his persona was met with disdain by the drag community. Ultimately, he showed this work at Simon Watson Gallery by dancing in the cage for hours on end while people roamed the gallery. I can only imagine how uncomfortable that must have been for everyone. 

Reynolds was diagnosed with HIV AIDS early on in the epidemic and has successfully combated the disease all these years. Not surprisingly, the AIDS crisis has informed his work. In his "Patina du Prey's Memorial Quilt," Reynolds transcribed the names of more than 25,000 AIDS victims and pasted each one on silk screen that was then applied to a black gown. In Berlin, Reynolds gave a performance in which he wore the dress while reciting all of the victims' names. Very powerful stuff. For more on Reynolds and his work, click here. (The article includes both Reynolds wearing the dress shown above and the Memorial Dress.) 

With "Miss Chief's Tipi Dress (Red) and Headdress
by Kent Monkman (2019)

I'll leave you with a work by Kent Monkman, an artist with whom I was actually familiar. Like Reynolds, Monkman has an alter ego -- Miss Chief Eagle Testickle. I love her name. She's called Miss Chief for short, which of course sounds like "mischief" if you say it quickly. And "Eagle Testickle" can become "egotistical." Artists work on so many levels.  As to why Monkman adopted an alter ego, he has said, " I needed my own artistic persona that could live inside the work. I wanted a persona that represented empowered Indigenous sexuality. That is why Miss Chief was created." 

Monkman is a Cree artist whose objective is "to bring Indigenous experience into the canon of art history." Since 2002, Monkman has enlisted Miss Chief in his endeavors. She always wears high heels no matter how awkward it might be (think riding a horse). Like Hunter Reynolds, Monkman sometimes dons Miss Chief's costume (shown here) for performances. And like Saya Woolfalk's Empathics, Miss Chief is a time traveler, as she appears in Kentman's reimagining of works of art across the ages. 

Snap from the Met video 

In 2019, Monkman was commissioned by the Met to create two paintings for the Great Hall. The commission was part of a project in which the Met invites artists to create works that respond to works in the museum's collection. I love the concept. Monkman took on Emmanuel Leutze's "Washington Crossing the Delaware," with Miss Chief replacing George Washington.  Click here to see the painting -- entitled "mistilosiwak (Wooden Boat People): Resurgence of the People." If your interest is piqued, scroll down to the video in which he talks about the painting and Miss Chief. It was included in the exhibit at the Museum of Arts and Design. I found it fascinating. 

As I said at the outset, the exhibit is unique, exciting and a bit crazy. If you find yourself in New York, the exhibit runs through August 14. Thanks for going on the ride with me!  

Next up: Charles Ray: Figure Ground at the Met