Artist Spotlight - Vanessa Beecroft
For decades, Vanessa Beecroft has been pushing the boundaries of art, fashion, and the line dividing the two. Born on April 25, 1969, the Italian-American artist primarily focuses on performance art but also dabbles in photography, sculpture, and painting. Her work has been exhibited in numerous well-established museums, such as the MoMA, the Guggenheim, the Art Institute of Chicago, and even the JFK Airport.
Beecroft grew up in a strict vegan household, resulting in a rocky relationship with food. She later developed bulimia. Her relationship with food, and battle with self-discipline, strongly influenced the subject of her early performance art.
Her work is titled “VB##”
Beecroft developed a signature of using models usually directed to stare into space without movement for hours on end. The immobility and stillness of these breathing mannequins have been known to illicit uneasiness in the audience, but her main controversy lies in the models she employs. By recruiting standard tall thin models, she is often seen as reaffirming gender stereotypes and promoting unhealthy idealized body standards for women.
Her most recognizable work comes from her collaborations with the fashion world. She began using designer items in her performances and later collaborated with notable fashion brands and houses such as Louis Vuitton, Prada, Helmut Lang, Valentino, and more by directing shows for their new collections.
My personal favorite is her collaboration with Kappa at Miami Art Basel, where she ingeniously balanced the brand’s aesthetic and her own by highlighting the “Omini” logo (shown below).
In 2008, Beecroft began her infamous collaboration with artist and public figure Kanye West. Their relationship began with her helping him promote his music albums, and later she would design sets and choreograph his music videos and tours. “Runaway,” for example, is the work of Beecroft. When Kanye moved into fashion design and unveiled his first season of Yeezy under Adidas in 2015, Vanessa Beecroft directed and presented his designs at NYFW. Her unique presentation of his designs generated a ton of publicity and would become a staple in the brand’s aesthetic.
Her work with Kanye has also been at the center of controversy. In the fall of 2016, Yeezy Season 4 featured rows of stoically posed models under the burning sun. Not only did the show begin over an hour late (although some argue this was an intentional artistic decision), but some models even began to faint under the heat, adding to the audience’s discomfort.
More recently, Beecroft has been working with Kanye’s ex-wife and public figure Kim Kardashian in her shape-wear brand, SKIMS, campaigns. Previously, the two have collaborated in a photoshoot for Kim’s fragrance release circa 2018. Beecroft’s signature style is very clearly defined in these campaign photos and, similarly to Yeezy, has become a part of SKIMS itself.
Vanessa Beecroft’s heavy involvement in the fashion industry as a performance artist begs the question: Is fashion art?
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