December 15, 2017 |
Opening today at Milan’s Triennale di Milano, ‘Subhuman, Inhuman, Superhuman,’ a portal to Rick Owens’ mind, an eclectic display of garments, furniture, graphics and publications – the visual sustenance that fuels Rick’s creative furnace, one that has burned so brightly for the best part of 23 years, and now available to walk around and marvel at. Lucky us. That said, we’re currently sat in London, so for now, our awe is vicariously transmitted via photographs. The most striking feature is no doubt the imposing amorphic structure suspended from the ceiling that snakes its way around the gallery’s horse-shoe space – not an obvious inclusion for a retrospective of Rick’s work, but seemingly a reference to his frustration with what he deems as the narrow parameters of what people consider beautiful. He’s talked to us about that before.
Elsewhere, mannequins draped and twisted in iconic Rick garb are interspersed throughout, elevated on black platforms that complete the monochrome theme of the show – this is a Rick Owens retrospective after all. And as such, there are no neatly composed themes, or politely issued directions to view this show, as Rick himself put it, “it’s all mixed together, just a composition of how I would want to see somebody’s life laid out. I want to see an ikebana flower arrangement. I don’t want a textbook.” Milan Fashion week can’t come soon enough.
Rick Owens ‘Subhuman Inhuman Superhuman’ is open from December 15, 2017 until March 25, 2018.
www.triennale.org/www.rickowens.eu
