The figures that populate 21C Museum Hotel’s newest exhibition Dress Up, Speak Up: Regalia and Resistance mine contemporary identity, revealing truths, memories and desires.
As Alice Gray Stites, museum director and chief curator, writes: “Whether clad in the stylized garb of Enlightenment-era Europe, the traditional coverings of ancient religious tradition, or the gender-bending bling of popular culture, these representations of self and other role-play in real time, reach back through history to address prevailing personal, social, and political challenges.”
You can encounter the vast array of works within Dress Up, Speak Up starting this month at the 21C with an opening celebration Aug. 30. The evening begins with a cocktail hour at 6 p.m. followed by a discussion with Brooklyn-based artist Bisa Bulter and curator Stites.
Through combining colorful, vibrant fabrics with different textures and patterns, Butler places historical photographs into new context; in doing so she calls to African-American history and quilting traditions. One of her works, Three Kings, illustrates this notion. Made with cotton, wool and chiffon, three men stare outward, backdropped by a bright red pocked with orange. Sewn into their clothes are flashes of glowing apartment building windows, blooming flowers and what looks like kitchen wallpaper; organic patterns slide into grid-like patterns that evoke urbanity.
A host of other artists will be featured in Dress Up, Speak Up, working in a myriad of mediums, styles and themes. To name a few, those artists include Ebony G. Patterson, Jody Paulsen, Beverly Mclver and Athi-Patra Ruga.
Special performances by DJ G9 from Meraki Haus μεράκι and Beyond Ballet Kids will be on deck prior to the event; the latter will be dressed by recent Project Runway star and local fashion designer Tessa Clark.
Dress Up, Speak Up: Regalia and Resistance will run through July 2020. Later this week, check back for an expanded article and photo gallery that delves deeper into the exhibit.
This article appears in Aug 7-14, 2019.
