A Kaleidoscopic Show Organized by Fashion Designer Duro Olowu Looks at the People, Culture, and Art of Chicago. See It Here

While museums around the globe are
closed to the public, we are spotlighting each day an inspiring
exhibition that was previously on view. Even if you can’t see it in
person, allow us to give you a virtual look. 

“Now Olowu turns his cosmopolitan eye to Chicago. Drawing from
the city’s public and private art collections, including works in
the MCA’s collection, Olowu curates a show that reimagines
relationships between artists and objects across time, media, and
geography. Moving away from traditional exhibition formats, Olowu
combines photographs, paintings, sculptures, and films in dense and
textural scenes that incorporate his own work.”

Why it’s worth a look: It could be a total
disaster to invite a fashion designer into a museum and allow him
free rein to act as a curator. But when it works, it can be
brilliant.

That’s the case in this show, in which the Nigerian-born
aesthete Duro Olowu took over the MCA’s galleries to organize
a show based on the city of Chicago, its people, artists, and
inspirations, which are all given equal footing. With a keen
understanding of style, form, color, and pattern, Olowu was able to
create a menagerie of beautiful objects and images (which is how he
sets up his boutique stores in London, too). In an interview with
Thelma Golden (who is also his wife) published in the show’s
catalogue, Olowu laughs describing the bricolage of his working
space as “Mariano Fortuny next to an antique Yoruba textile next to
a Madame Grès jacket with some Fela Kuti records and a Hurvin
Anderson drawing.”

A new digital initiative, launched today, presents viewers with
a 360-degree tour of the galleries and audio interviews and clips
featuring Olowu, MCA curators, and other contributors to the
show.

What it looks like:

The post A Kaleidoscopic Show Organized by Fashion Designer
Duro Olowu Looks at the People, Culture, and Art of Chicago. See It
Here appeared first on artnet News.