Fendi Partners with Lukas Gschwandtner for Design Miami 2022
Titled 'Triclinium', the series consists of wearable canvas sculptures that take inspiration from old bodies of work and the history of ancient Rome
What comes across as inherently simple to the eye may be more intricate than one thinks; and that seems to be the case with Fendi's new project with Vienna-based artist Lukas Gschwandtner. In partnership with Gschwandtner for Design Miami 2022, Fendi's 'Triclinium' offers an iteration of the artist's case study series: 'Pillow Portraits'.
'Triclinium' showcases a neat, almost clinical formation of chaise longue chairs in a space that "creates both a subconscious and physical space for conversation, in dialogue with the work, oneself and with others," as put by Fendi in an official statement.
Referencing Fendi's relationship with ancient Rome as well as his shared connection with the house in the art of leather craftsmanship in Vienna, Gschwandtner then identified material relevance of the house's use of Calico: a heavy, plain-woven textile crafted from unbleached cotton and used it as his main tool for the artwork.
Gschwandtner's use of Calico created wearable canvas sculptures that reference and simplify historical portraits of women reclining on furniture, particularly that of artists' Antonio Canova (Pauline Bonaparte as Venus Victrix), Titian (Venus of Urbino and Sleeping Ariadne), and Giorgio de Chirico (Solitude); an abstract version of artworks that remove the notion of history, class, and gender when reworked, giving them a more nuanced and personal feel that speak to fresh eyes.
