Photo of wearable art pieces by B. Anele (2018). Photo courtesy of Ryan Francisco.
HCCC Curatorial Intern Cyd Pickens had the opportunity to go behind the scenes for B. Anele’s “I Don’t Play That Game” fashion show and wearable art exhibition, which took place at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft on Thursday, August 2nd. Read on for a full recap.
On Thursday, August 2nd, B. Anele revealed 10 new fashion designs in a show titled, “B. Anele: I Don’t Play That Game.” Much like B’s other works, these pieces use natural fabrics such as canvas and cotton, which are painted with vibrant acrylic paints. Four of the 10 pieces are oversized white cotton t-shirts, all representing different segments of the same painting.
Runway models from “B. Anele: I Don’t Play That Game” (2018) and artist B. Anele (front, center) after the fashion show. Photo by Cydney Pickens.
B. Anele applying makeup to a runway model. Photo courtesy of Ryan Francisco.
Anele’s craft extends beyond painting and fiber, to performance. With the help of two performers disguised as audience members, one of the wearable art pieces was transformed during the show, as additional fabric pieces were velcroed to the model on the runway. Daring, innovative, and unpredictable, the models expressed the physical attitude of B’s craft through a deconstructed walk and improvisational dance. The original electronic dance track created by Skinny Play helped to further enhance the mood and extend the performance from a show to an experience.
Photo of runway model/interpretive dancer wearing a piece by B. Anele (2018). Photo courtesy of Ryan Francisco.
Garments by B. Anele. Photo by Ryan Francisco.
Models wearing garments by B. Anele. Photo by Ryan Francisco.
Overall, the fashion show was a provocative spectacle that focused on the raw elements of fashion, ignoring constructs of gender and expectation in favor of abstract and the undefined. B. Anele’s exhibition “B. Anele: I Don’t Play that Game” is on view through October 7th in the Artist Hall, here at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.