Contemporary Curated

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Sotheby’s is proud to present Contemporary Curated this season with co-curator NET-A-PORTER. From now until 7 July, Sotheby’s Contemporary Curated Exhibition reflect on the parallels between the technological and physical world of art and fashion, showcasing hot on the heels artists including Shara Hughes to Tetsuya Ishida, alongside fashion parallels with Christopher Esber to David Koma.

This season’s Contemporary Curated marks Sotheby’s Asia’s first co-curation with a luxury fashion e-tailer – with artworks brought together by a team of Sotheby’s experts in contemporary art, the exhibition theme shares a united vision to close the imagined distances between art galleries and would-be collectors, fashion runway and future trendsetters and inspired readers. Here, NET-A-PORTER responds with an innovative approach through fluidity, colour, and structure as a guiding principle of experiencing the world.

The cherry-picked lineup is led by Tetsuya Ishida’s The Men On A Belt Conveyer, the work is fresh to auction and marks a rare appearance on the market as only 217 paintings were ever created in Ishida’s brief decade-long career. The Men On A Belt Conveyer is a striking example of the artist’s kafkaesque depictions which explore the challenges posed by technological advancement, social anonymity and economic recession throughout the last three decades of 20th century Japan. The narrative offers a glimpse into the darker shades of Japan’s ‘Lost Decade’, a historical period the curatorial team identified with Balmain mini dress, whereby the sharp- shouldered silhouette and a wrap-effect bodice bring to mind the mono-coloured body-hugging dresses that trended during the late 80s.

Shara Hughes’s Rock Collection offers an imaginary interior filled with selections of symbolic objects infused with emotional and dreamlike significance set within bordering claustrophobic confines. It was featured in the artist’s first solo exhibition at the New York gallery Rivington Arms in 2007. An archetype from Hughes’s interior painting series, the present work creates a home alternative to that in the real world that has been ‘broken’ since the artist’s parents’ divorce. The inclusion of a seaside view suggesting the paradise beyond creates a surreal twist to the composition’s spatial dynamic, a captivating visual that Christopher Esber’s dramatic split between the shirt and skirt intricately held by intertwined bead-embellished straps finds parallel in this dreamlike visual interpretation.

2015.10 and 2015.07 display the extraordinary technical dexterity and conceptual rigour that defines Liang Yuanwei’s oeuvre. The enrapturing composition of exquisite petals and leaves recalls patterns in household fabrics and textiles, merging high art with design, an idea that fascinates the artist. The gradation of the paintings mimics the reflective qualities of satin, an effect achieved by arduously applying pigments layer by layer, reminiscent of the fresco painting technique. Similarities can be drawn between the scrumptiously textured painterly surface of Liang’s work with a bouclé-tweed mini dress by Rebecca Vallance that subtly glitters under light.

A collection of 5,000 unique animated characters, Invisible Friend has attracted a zealous reception from the public since the project launch in February 2022. The success of the project has also brought a series of fashion merchandise collaborations such as Kith Friends, which debuted looks from Kith’s Summer 2022 collections, merging the boundaries between wearable and collectible fashion in the language of web3.

Explore and celebrate the compelling dialogues amongst contemporary art, fashion and design at Sotheby’s exhibition where works by coveted artists such as Ayako Rokkaku, Chris Huen Sin Kan, Christine Ay Tjoe, Eddie Martinez, Tomokazu Matsuyama are displayed alongside an expertly curated edit of standout pieces from NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER’s global offering across ready-to-wear, accessories and their fast-expanding Home category. Coveted pieces from the industry favourites from NET-A-PORTER and MR PORTER, including Alaïa, Balmain, Gucci, TOM FORD and Loro Piana, as well as exciting new talents including the likes of Benchellal, Jacquemus, Magda Butrym, and Totême are displayed in the pop-up space.