Kürzlich begab ich mich auf eine Expedition in die modische Utopie der Kunsthalle München: die Viktor und Rolf Ausstellung. Dieses Ereignis reiht sich nahtlos in eine Serie von Manifestationen ein, die sowohl Mode als auch Kunst in einem Rausch der Kreativität zelebrieren. Früher habe ich bereits über die magischen Sphären von Jean Paul Gautier für das BerlinArtLink-Magazin und die kühnen Entwürfe von Thierry Mugler für das Anansi Magazin geschrieben. Jetzt also Viktor und Rolf. Und ich wurde angenehm überrascht.
HAUTE COUTURE: WHERE FASHION BECOMES ART
The two maestros of fashion interweave their creations with an irresistible artistic charm. They break down the traditional dogmas of clothing design into their molecules. Skirts that suddenly call for rebellion, others that break out sideways. Jackets that transcend the horizon of the shoulders and reach into the realm of faces. Each piece is like a work of art, saturated with accessories and interspersed with slogans. Here it becomes clear: fashion is not a mere shell, but a manifesto of self-definition, a performance in which we present ourselves to the world. An outcry that my body, everything, is a stage for transformation. A metaphor that is closely linked to the ritual of tattooing. Because, like the fashion of Viktor and Rolf, tattoos are not just skin deep, but carry the history and passion of their wearer beneath the surface. Their message, whether visual or symbolic, remains an inseparable part of one's being.
A Viktor and Rolf soirée is often teeming with tattooed stars like Mei Pang. Clothing and body, materiality and conception merge in a symbiotic relationship. And as with tattoos, the two designers use art as a manifesto: it's not always about aesthetic conventions. It's about taking risks, about what you are willing to express. A decision about which identity you want to reveal to the world. Viktor and Rolf's art miraculously combines this with the art of tattooing.
The jewel of the exhibition is undoubtedly a delicate, transparent latex dress printed with tattoos. An ode to the beauty of self-creation.
FASHION AND ART ON THE BODY
Viktor & Rolf deconstruct the self-evident in countless ways - often with a playful and humorous twist. When they opened their flagship store in Milan in 2005, they not only turned it on its head, but transformed it into a surreal fashion dream. Chairs floated on the ceiling above the parquet floor, while chandeliers grew up from the floor like plants. In the Munich exhibition, this upside-down cosmos is revived in all its glory.
Like the body art of tattooing, Viktor & Rolf work with slogans that they use to disrupt the conservative fashion fairytale. Provocations are their specialty, like the pugnacious messages they write on ball gowns. "I'm not shy, I just don't like you" is emblazoned on a sweeping dress that embodies distance and dominance.
THAT I USE AS AN ACCESSORY
Dolls also play an important role in Viktor & Rolf's oeuvre. Like their own bodies, which serve as a canvas, dolls can be used to test daring creations and see them in a new light. They embody the self as an accessory in a fascinating way.
Dolls appear in various forms in the Kunsthalle: from classic mannequins to delicate papier-mâché and porcelain models that conjure up an era of days long gone. Adorned with real human hair, these miniatures present meticulously recreated versions of extravagant clothing. Every detail, from hairstyle to footwear, from accessories to embroidery, is lovingly reconstructed and testifies to the designers' artistic mastery.
For enthusiasts looking for new tattoo inspiration, the exhibition at the Kunsthalle München is a real treasure.
Text: Julian Bachmann
Graphic: Jonas Bachmann
Kürzlich begab ich mich auf eine Expedition in die modische Utopie der Kunsthalle München: die Viktor und Rolf Ausstellung. Dieses Ereignis reiht sich nahtlos in eine Serie von Manifestationen ein, die sowohl Mode als auch Kunst in einem Rausch der Kreativität zelebrieren. Früher habe ich bereits über die magischen Sphären von Jean Paul Gautier für das BerlinArtLink-Magazin und die kühnen Entwürfe von Thierry Mugler für das Anansi Magazin geschrieben. Jetzt also Viktor und Rolf. Und ich wurde angenehm überrascht.
HAUTE COUTURE: WHERE FASHION BECOMES ART
The two maestros of fashion interweave their creations with an irresistible artistic charm. They break down the traditional dogmas of clothing design into their molecules. Skirts that suddenly call for rebellion, others that break out sideways. Jackets that transcend the horizon of the shoulders and reach into the realm of faces. Each piece is like a work of art, saturated with accessories and interspersed with slogans. Here it becomes clear: fashion is not a mere shell, but a manifesto of self-definition, a performance in which we present ourselves to the world. An outcry that my body, everything, is a stage for transformation. A metaphor that is closely linked to the ritual of tattooing. Because, like the fashion of Viktor and Rolf, tattoos are not just skin deep, but carry the history and passion of their wearer beneath the surface. Their message, whether visual or symbolic, remains an inseparable part of one's being.
A Viktor and Rolf soirée is often teeming with tattooed stars like Mei Pang. Clothing and body, materiality and conception merge in a symbiotic relationship. And as with tattoos, the two designers use art as a manifesto: it's not always about aesthetic conventions. It's about taking risks, about what you are willing to express. A decision about which identity you want to reveal to the world. Viktor and Rolf's art miraculously combines this with the art of tattooing.
The jewel of the exhibition is undoubtedly a delicate, transparent latex dress printed with tattoos. An ode to the beauty of self-creation.
FASHION AND ART ON THE BODY
Viktor & Rolf deconstruct the self-evident in countless ways - often with a playful and humorous twist. When they opened their flagship store in Milan in 2005, they not only turned it on its head, but transformed it into a surreal fashion dream. Chairs floated on the ceiling above the parquet floor, while chandeliers grew up from the floor like plants. In the Munich exhibition, this upside-down cosmos is revived in all its glory.
Like the body art of tattooing, Viktor & Rolf work with slogans that they use to disrupt the conservative fashion fairytale. Provocations are their specialty, like the pugnacious messages they write on ball gowns. "I'm not shy, I just don't like you" is emblazoned on a sweeping dress that embodies distance and dominance.
THAT I USE AS AN ACCESSORY
Dolls also play an important role in Viktor & Rolf's oeuvre. Like their own bodies, which serve as a canvas, dolls can be used to test daring creations and see them in a new light. They embody the self as an accessory in a fascinating way.
Dolls appear in various forms in the Kunsthalle: from classic mannequins to delicate papier-mâché and porcelain models that conjure up an era of days long gone. Adorned with real human hair, these miniatures present meticulously recreated versions of extravagant clothing. Every detail, from hairstyle to footwear, from accessories to embroidery, is lovingly reconstructed and testifies to the designers' artistic mastery.
For enthusiasts looking for new tattoo inspiration, the exhibition at the Kunsthalle München is a real treasure.
Text: Julian Bachmann
Graphic: Jonas Bachmann
30.06.-02.07. Summer Tattoo Festival No.8
05.08.-06.08. Garda Tattoo Event
18.08.-20.08. Tunjo Tattoo Fest
15.09.-17.09. Millennium Tattoo Show No.6
15.09.-17.09. Cagliari Tattoo Convention No.13
22.09.-24-09. Bergamo Tattoo Expo
22.09.-24-09. Torino Tattoo Convention No.12
29.09.- 01.10. Urban Land Tattoo Expo Roma
29.09.-01.10. Mima Tattoo Convention No.5
13.10.-15.10. Genova Tattoo Convention No.16
14.10.-15.10. Roma Tattoo Expo No.23
20.10.-22-10. Ferrara Tattoo Convention No.5
27.10.-29.10. Passion Art Tattoo Convention Bolzano No.16
04.11.-05.11. Chiuduno Tattoo Weekend
10.11.-12.11. Ancona Tattoo Expo No.2
10.11.-12.11. Palermo Tattoo Convention No.9
11.11.-12.11. Trieste International Tattoo Expo No.14
11.11.-12.11. Catania Tattoo Convention No.5
01.12.-03.12. Florence Tattoo Convention No.13
08.12.-10.12. East Coast Tattoo Convention No.17
16.06.-18.06. Anime Tattoo Expo, Fire de Barcelona
30.06.-02.07.23 Asturias Tattoo Expo No.8
08.09.-10.09. Ibiza Tattoo Convention No.4
15.09.-17.09. Gaia Tattoo Expo No.3
06.10.-08.10. Barcelona Tattoo Expo No.26
27.10.-29.10. Alicante Tattoo Convention No.5
03.11.-05.11. Pamplona Tattoo Expo No.5
08.07.-09.07 . Bristol Tattoo Convention
22.07.-23.07 . Ink And Oil Tattoo Convention
29.07.-30.07. Great Western Tattoo Show
19.08.-20.08. Cornwall’s Tattoo Convention
19.08.-20.08. Tatcon Blackpool
26.08.-27.08. Big London Tattoo Show
16.09.-17.09. Buckley Ink Tattoo Convention
23.09.-24.09. Sheffield Tattoo Festival
30.09.-01.10. Tattoo Trojans Doncaster Tattoo Convention
07.10.-08.10. Locked up Tattoo Convention
14.10.-15.10. Halloween Tattoo Bash
11.11.-12.11. Wrexham Tattoo Show
02.09.-03.09. Tattoonika
14.10.-15.10. Wildstyle & Tattoo Messe Kapfenburg
21.10.-22.10. Wildstyle & Tattoo Messe Linz
28.10.-29.10. Wildstyle & Tattoo Messe Salzburg
01.09.-03.09. Lugano TI – Tattoo Convention No.24
16.06.-18.06. Epinal Tattoo Show
17.06.-18.06. Asian Festival Tattoo Show
01.07.-02.07. Caen Tattoo Show
08.07.-09.07. Rock Tattoo Spirit
15.07.-16.07. Sermaize Tattoo Convention
19.08.-20.08. Deauvile Tattoo Festival
01.09.-03.09. Montauban Tattoo Show
01.09.-03.09. Ink’n’Roll Chateauroux Tattoo Festival
02.09.-03.09. The 70’s Tattoo Show
09.09.-10.09. Jura Ink Park
09.09.-10.09. Dentelle Ink Alençon
09.09.-10.09. Champagne Tattoo Event
09.09.-10.09. Limoges Tattoo Show
15.09.-17.09. Univers Tattoo Convention
16.09.-17.09. Circus Tattoo Show
16.09.-17.09. Kustom Festival & Tattoo
16.09.-17.09. Perpignan Tattoo Convention
22.09.-24.09. Nantes Tattoo Convention
23.09.-24.09. Isere Tattoo Show
23.09.-24.09. Girl Ink Tattoo Show
30.09.-01.10. Perigueux Tattoo Expo
30.09.-01.10. La Maison d’Encre
07.10.-08.10. Convention Tatouage de Bourges
14.10.-15.10. Poitiers Tattoo Convention
13.10.-15.10. Chalons en Champagne Tattoo Show
20.10.-22.10. Evian Tattoo Show
21.10.-22.10. Biarritz Tattoo Fest
21.10.-22.10. Fabulous Tiki Weekend
21.10.-22.10. Bourg-en-Bresse Tattoo Convention
21.10.-22.10. The Team Miss P’ink Tattoo
28.10.-29.10. Cahors Tattoo & Geek
03.11.-05.11. Sugar Ink Tattoo Convention
11.11.-12.11. Love Tattoo Festival
18.11.-20.11. Potopistons Tattoo Convention
18.11.-19.11. Salon du Tatouage Clermont
25.11.-26.11. Troyes Tattoo Convention
01.12.-03.12. Merry Christmas Tattoo Show
02.12.-03.12. Nohell Tattoo Show
02.12.-03.12. Tarn Tattoo Convention
22.09.-24.09. Hans Christian Andersen Tattoo Convention No.6
27.10.-29.10. Nordic Ink Festival No.12
16.09.-17.09. Bulgaria Tattoo Expo VIII
25.08.-27-08. INKJUNX
02.09.-03.09. Craboutcha Tattoo Festival
02.09.-03.09. Tox Cit’Ink No.10
23.09.-24.09. Brügge Tattoo Convention No.2
07.10.-08.10. Skin Art Expo No.14
14.10.-15-10. Mons Tattoo Convention No.5
28.10.-29.10. Hasselt Tattoo Convention No.2
28.10.-29.10. Kempen Tattoo Convention No.3
10.11.-12.11. Brüssel Tattoo Convention No.13
16.09.-17.09. Haná Tattoo Expo No.5
18.11. Pardubice Tattoo Event No.8
28.07.-30.07. Maiden City Tattoo Convention No.11
29.09.-01.10. Dublin Tattoo Convention No.22
21.10.-22-10. Wild Atlantic Tattoo Show
25.08.-27.08. Baltic Tattoo Convention No.5 ^
21.10.-23.10. Vianden Tattoo Convention No.23
15.07.-16.07. Ink Panthers Tattoo Convention No.2
15.09.-17.09. Amsterdam Tattoo Convention No.17
23.09.-24.09. Ink and Cutz Tattoo Convention No.6
01.07.-02.07. Warsaw Tattoo Convention No.10
02.09.-03.09. Katowice Tattoo Konwent
16.09.-17.09. Opole Tattoo Expo No.5
14.10.-15.10. Hagen Tattoo Convention
25.11.-26.11. Lodz Tattoo Konwent
05.10.-08.10. Lisbon Tattoo Rock Fest No.16
01.09.-03.09. Constanta Tattoo Convention
20.10.-22-10. Bucharest Tattoo Convention No.11
06.08.-13.08. Ink Needle Tattoo Convention
25.08.-26.08. Minicon
01.09.-03.09. Stockholm Ink Bash Tattoo Convention No.26
