kurimanzutto just launched the first-ever solo exhibition by Mexican artist and designer Barbara Sánchez-Kane in New York, titled New Lexicons for Embodiment. In this exhibit, Sánchez-Kane explores the intersection of fashion and art, focusing on how clothing shapes our identity and self-expression.
Sánchez-Kane, who goes by she and he pronouns, deconstructs and reimagines traditional identities through her clothing and sculptures. The exhibit features her latest fashion collection in a pop-up shop at the gallery’s entrance, offering a glimpse into her creative journey. The main exhibit showcases sculptures inspired by a 1920s design guide, turning them into abstract, fabric-based landscapes that challenge our perceptions.
“Mutant clothes as an act of resistance against evolutionary biology: a wardrobe for misfits in which all that is functionless and discarded finds its place. Clothes for a less efficient life. Shoes to walk slowly and difficultly toward a different beauty. Clothes for being less productive. Suits unfit for seeking work. A perfect wardrobe for making life more complicated,” said the artist in an interview with Luis Felipe Fabre for the gallery.
Through repeated patterns with variations, Sánchez-Kane creates “wearable” sculptures, blurring the line between fashion and art. Her hanging sculptures, made from aluminum, take inspiration from mannequins and present adaptable, distorted bodies. Altogether, Sánchez-Kane uses art to critique aspects of the fashion industry, such as standardized body sizes and fast fashion, while fashion serves as a canvas for her creative expression. Her work raises questions about power dynamics in the industry, challenging norms and beauty standards.
New Lexicons for Embodiment is on view through October 21. Learn more by visiting kurimanzutto’s website.
kurimanzutto
520 W 20th St.
New York, NY 10011
