Aware: Art Fashion Identity exhibition, London

'Sixty Minute Silence' by Gillian Wearing, 1996 (Royal Academy)
'Sixty Minute Silence' by Gillian Wearing, 1996 Colour video projection with sound Courtesy of Maureen Paley gallery, London
(Image credit: Maureen Paley Gallery)

All of us (bar a few naturists along the way) wear clothes to complete a necessary everyday routine. Whether much thought goes past the dressing up and dressing down is a whole other ball of yarn. Pulling together a group of artists and designers who have worked to reflect, expand, shred out and explore every inch of the nature of clothing, the GSK Contemporary - Aware: Art Fashion Identity exhibition at London's Royal Academy of Arts looks beyond fashion to focus on clothing in terms identity, nationality, displacement and conflict.

Alongside work collated from 30 contemporary practitioners including the likes of Marina Abramović, Andreas Gursky, Maison Martin Margiela, Alexander McQueen, Yoko Ono, Grayson Perry, Cindy Sherman Hon RA and Yohji Yamamoto, there will also be new work by Yinka Shonibare MBE and Hussein Chalayan commissioned for 'Aware' by the London College of Fashion and the Royal Academy of Arts.

The exhibition is divided into four sections - 'Storytelling' addresses the role of clothing in a historical and cultural sense, 'Building' confronts clothing being used as a form of protection, 'Belonging and Confronting' puts it in the context of nationality and politics, and 'Performance', which features film footage of Yoko Ono's performance of 'Cut Piece' at New York's Carnegie Recital Hall in 1965.

Broad reaching material, yes, but ultimately, the heart of the exhibition lies in the relationship between our physical covering and the countless ways it can work to either celebrate or suppress identity.

'Artist's Robe' by Grayson Perry, 2004

'Artist's Robe' by Grayson Perry, 2004

Embroidered silk brocade, leather, printed linen and ceramic buttons

Courtesy of the artist and Victoria Miro Gallery, London

(Image credit: Victoria Miro Gallery)

'Carapace: Triptych, The Butchers Window' by Dai Rees, 2003

'Carapace: Triptych, The Butchers Window' by Dai Rees, 2003

15ml leather hide, leather marquetry, stainless steel, enamel, iodine.

Photography: Dai Rees

(Image credit: Dai Rees)

'Widow' by Susie MacMurray, 2009

'Widow' by Susie MacMurray, 2009

Black nappa leather, 2 inch adamantine dressmaker’s pins

Manchester City Galleries (Gallery of Costume)

Photography: Susie MacMurray

(Image credit: Susie MacMurray)

'Say Goodbye' by Helen Storey, 2010 

'Say Goodbye' by Helen Storey, 2010 

London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London

Photography: John Ross

(Image credit: John Ross)

'Shelter Me 1' by Mella Jaarsma, 2005

'Shelter Me 1' by Mella Jaarsma, 2005

Chinese – Indonesian shrine, bowls, beats, military costumes, essence, DVD

Courtesy of the artist and DACS 2010

Photography: Mie Cornoedus

(Image credit: Mie Cornoedus)

'Cut Piece', 1965, Yoko Ono

'Cut Piece', 1965, Yoko Ono

A film by Albert and David Maysles of Yoko Ono’s performance of Cut Piece at Carnegie Recital Hall, New York, 21 March 1965

16mm black-and-white film with sync sound, transferred to DVD, running time 9’

Courtesy of the artist

(Image credit: The artist)

'Autumn-Winter 1991–92 Yohji Yamamoto Femme Collection 1991–2', Yohji Yamamoto

'Autumn-Winter 1991–92 Yohji Yamamoto Femme Collection 1991–2', Yohji Yamamoto

Collection of Peter Saville

© Thierry Chomel for Yohji Yamamoto

(Image credit: Thierry Chomel for Yohji Yamamoto)

'Autumn Winter 1998: Joan', Alexander McQueen

'Autumn Winter 1998: Joan', Alexander McQueen

Photography: Chris Moore

Courtesy of Catwalking

(Image credit: Chris Moore / Catwalking)

INFORMATION

Royal Academy of Arts
Burlington House
Piccadilly
London W1J 0BD

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