[Photo credit: Artist Artaksiniya]
The spirit of Gucci today is one that celebrates the “short circuit” of cultural references and, in particular, the one between traditional heritage and contemporaneity. The recently launched Gucci Blooms and Gucci Caleido prints perfectly illustrate this, featuring a floral print and a geometric motif overlaid on the classic GG signature design. In many ways, these evolutions of a famous and favourite house pattern are the fashion equivalent of painting over an old master.
[Photo credit: Artist Jay Howell]
[Photo credit: Artist Gill Button]
[Photo credit: Artist Ed Fornieles]
Now Gucci explores this idea further with the #GucciGram project, in which it has invited online talents, illustrators and image-makers from around the world – established names, emerging ones and those somewhere in between on their creative journeys – to imagine artworks that feature the Gucci Blooms and Gucci Caleido motifs.The result is a portfolio produced with total creative freedom, where individuals have responded to Creative Director Alessandro Michele’s invitation to be inspired by Gucci’s new prints expressing their personal visions through their chosen stylistic prisms. More often than not, this has resulted in a mash-up of imagery in which the Gucci Blooms and Caleido prints play their parts – sometimes harmoniously, often incongruously.
[Photo credit: Artist Lyle Reimer]
[Photo credit: Artist Mogu Takahashi]
[Photo credit: Artist Noah Kalina]
[Photo credit: Artist Oneeyegirl]
Some digital creative natives have indeed incorporated the work of well-known painters; others have used cartoon characters, surreal animations, or satirical messages. The effect is a pop-cultural explosion of diverse viewpoints – provocative, entertaining and, often, amusing.
[Photo credit: Artist Parisian Floors]
[Photo credit: Artist QTA]
[Photo credit: Artist Ren Hang]
While some contributors like Kalen Hollomon (already exhibited at Colette in Paris), Noah Kalina (his new book Cabin Porn became a New York Times bestseller) and Amalia Ulman (her work was exhibited at Frieze in London just recently) have a degree of recognition, others are relatively unknown – one, Chris Rellas (@CopyLab), is a 19-year-old American student, for example. All have a significant following on Instagram.Gucci has also created a micro-site to house the work at gucci.com/guccigram. The site features an introduction by Brooklyn-based technology and culture writer Kyle Chayka and a number of responses to the work by other commentators. The artworks will also be featured on Gucci social media channels.
[Photo credit: Artist Sara Berman]
[Photo credit: Artist The Most Famous Artist]
[Photo credit: Artist Wichtoria]
