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Making It Hard: the General Helmut Lang thread


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The Fashion Legend on His Renegade Act of Artistic Reinvention

Iconic designer turned artist Helmut Lang shredded 20 years of fashion history for his latest exhibition, repurposing 6,000 garments from his eponymous label into a series of terrestrially textured, stalactite columns that stretch from floor to ceiling. On view at the Fireplace Project in East Hampton, Make it Hard comprises 16 sculptures that meld natural and synthetic fibers with plastics, metals, leathers, fur, feathers and even hair. “The fight against entropy and decay is always going to be a losing battle,†says international curator Neville Wakefield. “So why not make of that destructive energy something new?†It should be noted that Lang's most adored designs were saved from the cut, when in 2009 and 2010 the designer donated a large volume of his work to select fashion, design and contemporary art collections worldwide. A leading figure of 90s minimalism, the Austrian-born Lang has left a lasting mark on the industry. Following his brand’s acquisition by the Prada Group six years ago, Lang relocated to a Long Island studio to focus on his artistic career. “In the autobiographical sense, the material of people’s lives has always been the subject of their art,†says Wakefield. “The only difference here is the level of identification and investment that the public has in that material.†We asked Lang about his dramatic endeavor.

What inspired you to shred your archive?
With a little help of outside force in February 2010—after a fire in the building where our studio in New York is located, which could have destroyed the rest of the archive—and after going for months through the pieces to see in which condition they are, I slowly became intrigued by the idea of destroying it myself and using it as raw material for my art. It was a cathartic experience, which led to an interesting and positive energy.
Were you motivated by a desire to draw a line between yourself as an artist and designer?
I retired from fashion in 2005 and that was final for me. I feel fortunate I am able to work in art now and still contribute to the cultural landscape.
There is an organic feel to your artwork, which seems almost at odds with your fashion aesthetic, which felt very urban. Has your new lifestyle been an influence?
I feel that the new work is actually both, on the one hand very urban, but at the same time it has organic breaks within the structure. I do also think, in my work as a designer, I tried to contradict the contemporary with small defects and elements of reality, which can be considered organic. Anyway, it feels to me that either visible or not visible, I always consider both.
You were seen as having a very serious approach to fashion. Has art relaxed you?
I am always serious and I am always relaxed. Nothing has changed.

source: http://www.nowness.com/day/2011/7/23/helmut-lang-make-it-hard

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  • 2 years later...

Thanks for posting (and sell me the silk vest since I'm the only one who is small enough to wear it).

Thought it would be appropriate to change this thread into the general discussion thread of Helmut Lang.

 

Recently found an ad from 1989, which I'll scan and post in the next few days.

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Helmut Lang for Henzel Studio

For HENZEL STUDIO, Helmut Lang re-appropriated the shape of his sculpture Behind, 2012. The surface and finishings have been crafted though different pile heights and material compositions.

 

calle_henzel_studio_helmut_lang_rug.jpg

(hq)

HELMUT LANG
Untitled, 2013
Hand knotted rug, Himalayan wool & silk, 150 knot
Free-form, Select areas made with 3, 5 and 8 mm pile height
315 x 300 cm (124 x 118 ins) / Custom size available upon request
© Henzel Art & Design Group

Helmut_Lang_byhenzel_art_08.jpg

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HELMUT LANG
Untitled, 2012
Resin, pigment and mixed media
203.2 x 59.7 x 26.7 cm (80 x 23 1/2 x 10 1/2 ins)
© Helmut Lang

 

 

http://byhenzel.com/artists/helmut-lang/

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good shout on this thread - i may have some stray memorabilia from 1998-2002 or so, which i will try to see if i can find.  i really wish i picked up one of those CDs they had at the shop when they launched their website

 

one thing worth remembering is who brought the plastic bag into the luxury rtw shopping experience:

 

helmut.jpg?w=218&h=300

 

sourced from http://thecrossfire.wordpress.com/2014/03/26/somewhat-of-a-personal-history-c-1997-2008-via-shopping-bags-part-one/ (which, full disclosure, i wrote in a fit of nostalgia for the old HL store where the slp greene st boutique now lives)

 

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If you have any other ads or editorials that aren't as prevalent on the web, it'd be awesome if you could up them

i have access to vogues and l'officiels from 86 till today and i'll gladly scan and post whatever i find! 

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  • 2 years later...

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