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An installation view of Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Artists at the National Gallery of Victoria
Credit: Wayne Taylor
The subversive, surreal designs of Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren – whose conceptual creations have always erred on the side of gallery-ready – are the subject of a world first exhibition opening today at the National Gallery of Victoria.
Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Artists was opened by the designers themselves yesterday, and today more than 40 exquisite haute couture garments will open to the public, including pieces from their somnambulant Fall 2005 ready-to-wear collection; the iconic ‘No’ trench from Fall 2008 RTW; Spring 2008’s insane experimentations with tulle, wherein ball gowns were literally hacked into with chainsaws; and Fall 2014 Couture’s voluminous, high concept red carpet gowns made from – you guessed it – red carpet.
The artisanal gowns are also accompanied by 22 hand-made dolls wearing painstakingly crafted miniaturised versions of each couture look, made in the designers’ Amsterdam atelier out of porcelain, papier-mâché and human hair. Never-before-seen tapestries, archival photos and videos also complement the exhibition’s textile offerings, adding yet another layer to the Dutch designers’ reverential approach to fashion as art.
Should you require further convincing, the exhibition has been developed in collaboration with both the eponymous designers and international guest curator Thierry-Maxime Loriot, who was responsible for the brilliant, world-travelling NGV favourite, The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier. Horsting and Snoeren will also appear in conversation with Thierry-Maxime Loriot tonight at the gallery in a one-off discussion of their approach to design and how they plan to further conflate the worlds of art and fashion.
You can also preview select looks from the exhibition below.
Viktor&Rolf: Fashion Artists is on display at NGV International from today until February 26, 2017. Tickets are on sale now. You can find out more information here.
Credit: Wayne Taylor
Credit: Wayne Taylor
Credit: Wayne Taylor
Credit: Wayne Taylor
Credit: Wayne Taylor
Credit: Wayne Taylor
Credit: Wayne Taylor
Credit: Wayne Taylor
Credit: Wayne Taylor
Tile image: Heather Marks by David LaChapelle, The House at the End of the World, 2005, Chromogenic print, Viktor&Rolf, Bedtime Story, ready-to-wear collection, autumn–winter 2005, published in Vogue Italia, October 2005 © David LaChapelle
Cover image: Rolf Snoeren (left) and Viktor Horsting (right) photographed in their Amsterdam atelier, September 2016 © Team Peter Stigter
