Site Specific Background
“Underground Chic” was a unique 'underground art' solo exhibition.
Much of which was about how we give too much energy to designer brands, which comes at a cost. The exhibition Private View opening was on Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year for the fashion industry and their stores. The venue for the exhibition was held in a showroom in a car park 2 levels beneath the designer brands section of a major international shopping center, Westfields, Shepherd’s Bush, London.
On Lux Bags
Most of the artwork produced for the solo show was a continuation and evolution of the OnLuxBags series. This series is generally about drawing & painting over luxury gift bags as an expression of spiritual defiance. We too easily give in and associate feelings of lust and desire with luxury brands and their marketing efforts. There are also emotions like greed, insecurity, and jealousy that permeate as a by-product.
From the ceiling of the exhibition space there were arrangements of bags hanging just above head height. 75 bags from various designer brands in total had each side of it worked over in mixed media. This obvioulsy was accentuating the context of the artwork as it relates to the shopping center above. 2 floors right above were stores such as Gucci and Prada etc. Leaflets were handed out to the staff working in these shops inviting them to the opening night.
Underground Chic Meaning
There were also other artworks than OnLuxBags pieces in the show, but all fall under the title “Underground Chic”. This overarching series or theme is about how even some darker expressions in sub culture can be elegant and graceful. How non commercial (or underground), subversive, and rebellious can still be graceful and elegant. A recurring muse in this theme is Mia Wallace from Pulp Fiction. So it was only right artworks of her went on the car.
