The Whitney presents solo Eckhaus Latta exhibit

ART

THE WHITNEY GETS POSSESSED WITH ECKHAUS LATTA

Eckhaus Latta Art Exhibit at the Whitney Museum

WORDS

by KRISTOPHER FRASER

PHOTOS

COURTESY of FRAME NOIR

The Whitney is now home to a solo exhibition by New York and Los Angeles-based brand Eckhaus Latta. Eckhaus Latta: Possessed highlights the work of the design duo, and also showcases the intersection between fashion and contemporary art. We need to look no further than Art Basel Miami to see how the worlds of fashion and contemporary art have joined each other in holy matrimony. The exhibition, part of the Museum’s emerging artist series, is on view in the first-floor of the John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation Gallery from August 3 through October 8. Access to the gallery is free of charge. Eckhaus Latta is well known for their emphasis on collaboration, and their work has also been featured at MoMA PS1 and Made in L.A. at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles.

“As part of Whitney’s emerging artist program, we sometimes showcase creative figures outside of the visual arts,” said Christopher L. Yew, Nancy and Fred Poses Associate Curator and co-organizer of the Eckhaus Latta exhibit with Lauri London Freedman, the Museum’s head of product development. “These figures from fields such as fashion, music, architecture, design, and food approach their disciplines in ways that are akin to visual artists, often questioning the systems and parameters that define what they do, speaking to the broader cultural moments and blurring the boundaries between disciplines.”

Eckhaus Latta: Possessed. Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta inside their exhibition.

For the exhibit, Eckhaus Latta created a new three-part installation that embraces and brings into conversation various aspects of the fashion industry, from advertising and consumer experience to voyeurism. The core theme of the exhibit is the idea of an operational retail environment where visitors can touch, try on, and purchase clothing and accessories specifically designed for the show. The space was made in collaboration with over a dozen artists whom Eckhaus Latta has been in dialogue with over the years who have created functional elements such as clothing racks, display shelves, and a dressing room.

The featured collaborators include Susan Cianciolo, Lauren Davis Fisher, Avena Venus Gallagher, Alexa Karolinski, Valerie Keane, Jay Latta, Matthew Lutz-Kinoy, Annabeth Marks, Riley O’Neill, Emma T. Price, Jessi Reaves, Erica Sarlo, Nora Jane Slade, Sophie Stone, Martine Syms, Torey Thornton, Charlotte Wales, Eric Wrenn and Amy Yao.

“The core theme of the exhibit is the idea of an operational retail environment where visitors can touch, try on, and purchase clothing and accessories specifically designed for the show.”

Eckhaus Latta is an American fashion label established in 2011 by Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta. The pair met at Rhode Island School of Design where they studied sculpture and textile design respectively. They work between studios in Los Angeles and New York City. After graduating in 2010, Eckhaus designed men’s accessories at Marc by Marc Jacobs, and Latta established her own textile company to design prints and knitwear for brands including Proenza Schouler, Calvin Klein, Opening Ceremony, and Marc Jacobs.

Eckhaus Latta presents two collections a year during New York Fashion Week as a stage to explore casting, installation formats, and the role of performance. Previous partnerships include fashion, jewelry, performance, and audiovisual projects with numerous artists, as well as footwear collaborations with Nike and Camper together.

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