The Vulgar: Fashion Redefined at Barbican Art Gallery

Posted on November 21, 2016 by Manuela Rio Tinto

The Vulgar: Fashion Redefined at Barbican Art Gallery

London has loads of great exhibitions regarding the most numerous topics to visit throughout the year. The Vulgar: Fashion Redefined at Barbican Art Gallery is just a great example. The venue has already received major fashion exhibitions like Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion in 2010 and The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk in 2014, just to name a few.

The Vulgar is not only about fashion but also about history, and the inconstant concepts of vulgarity and taste. It brings several definitions of vulgarity, conceived by the psychoanalyst and writer Adam Phillips, in each of its 20 sections. The objects showcased, which go beyond the garments – there are manuscripts, photographs and a film – dated from the Renaissance up until the 21^st century. Some of the designers featured include Christian Dior, Gareth Pugh, John Galliano, Mary Katrantzou and many more.

The sections explore different aspects and concepts of beauty and vulgarity, what is strictly linked to fashion and its changes through the times. It’s fascinating to observe how something once considered vulgar and outdated in a period of time is transformed in high fashion in another i.e. the Chanel logo on the Chanel exclusive shopping basket presented at the brand’s Autumn-Winter 2014 Ready-to-Wear show in Paris.

Most vulgarity meanings the exhibition explores are contradictions: from the extravagant and opulent dresses from the 18^th century with its appliqués and voluminous skirts, considered vulgar because of its excess; to the micro dresses and bodies, with its transparencies that revealed a little too much of women’s bodies, as in some of Pam Hogg’s outfits exposed in the section Extreme Bodies.

The exhibition intrigues the viewers stimulating their own thought on why are these clothes considered vulgar in each concept of the word, whether if they agree or not with Judy Clark’s – the exhibition-maker – views. It is definitely thought-provoking and a must see not only if you are interested in fashion but in culture in general. Barbican is also presenting Bedwyr Williams: The Gulch at The Curve space, which is the artist’s first solo show in a public space in London, until 8^th January 2017. Williams transformed the gallery into a series of theatrical installations to transport and disorient the viewer. So do not forget to stop by if you are around.

 

The Vulgar: Fashion Redefined at

Barbican Art Gallery, London

Until 5 February 2017

The Vulgar: Fashion Redefined at Barbican Art Gallery