J.W.Anderson to curate exhibition at The Hepworth Wakefield, Yorkshire

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Sep 6, 2016

British designer Jonathan Anderson has been invited to explore the human form within art, fashion and design in a new exhibition at The Hepworth Wakefield, an award-winning art gallery in the heart of Yorkshire.

The designer known for his provocative collections will collaborate with Tom Emerson and Stephanie Macdonald of 6a architects to present this exhibition, which will offer a perspective on the way the human form has been reconceived by artists and designers across the 20th and 21st centuries.

‘Disobedient Bodies’ will bring together a selection of figurative sculptures by artists including Jean Arp, Louise Bourgeois, Lynn Chadwick, Naum Gabo, Barbara Hepworth, Sarah Lucas, Magali Reus, Dorothea Tanning and Henry Moore.

They will be brought into direct dialogue with fashion pieces by revolutionary designers such as Christian Dior, Jean Paul Gaultier, Rei Kawakubo, Helmut Lang and Issey Miyake.

There will be also design and craft items on display including ceramics by Hans Coper and lamps by Isamu Noguchi.

“This is a rare and exciting opportunity for me to bring together some of the works of art and fashion that long inspired by own creative work and to see what happens when these objects rub up against each other,” says Jonathan Anderson.

“I want the exhibition to mirror the speed and unexpected encounters that characterise the way in which we consume images today, as well as being a space in which to explore ideas of gender and identity that have been an ongoing part of my creative practice”.

The exhibition will also touch on the role of gender and abstraction with Anderson’s notorious AW13 collection, which played with this concept by combining classic menswear silhouettes with feminine ruffled details.

“This ambitious exhibition was born out of Jonathan’s genuine and long-standing passion for modern art twinned with his experiments with non-gendered clothing. This very personal interpretation will entice visitors to enjoy our outstanding collections in a very different context and get inspired by the cross-pollination inherent in the creative process,” added Simon Wallis, Director of the art gallery.

‘Disobedient Bodies: J.W.Anderson at The Hepworth Wakefield’ will be on display from 18 March to 18 June, 2017.