Austrian artist Lukas Gschwandtner brought his figurative ‘soft furnishings’ to Acne Studio’s SS24 Womenswear show at L’Observatoire de Paris this week – part of a canvas-covered set for the Stockholm-based brand.
Gschwandtner’s pillowy figures draw on the shapes, poses and gestures of women in classical paintings, recreated by the artist in sewn canvases. The soft sculptures were arranged, as though in repose, across the stepped seating, flanking the runway, adding a whimsical touch to the tactile setting.
It wasn’t all softness and light, however. In the corner of the stage, a disco ball turns wracking ball, seemingly crashing through the wall, reflecting the ceiling’s square, light boxes in its tiny tiles in a geometric riposte.
Acne creative director Jonny Johansson’s collection largely echoed the colour palette of the space, enveloped in wall-to-wall cream colour canvas, interspersing minimalist, monochrome looks with bright pops of colour – think purple maxis and mint green dresses. Textures also featured heavily ruffled tulle, pom poms, and feathers, all contrasting tailoring and flowing forms of low-waist skirts and paint-cracked denim.
Said Johansson: ‘The industrial mood this season comes mostly from my passion for denim and the many ways we can manipulate this amazing fabric. It also comes from the idea of a construction site: things are unfinished, a work in progress. I wanted to convey the beauty of that.’
He also hat-tipped British artist Katerina Jebb’s,’ Physical Evidence of a Woman’, as inspiration for his SS24 collection. The scanographic series dissects the symbols and stereotypes of ‘feminine dress codes’.
