After his critically-acclaimed solo show in 2006, a very personal exhibition of technically ingenious and Outstandingly Excellent contemporary embroideries, which he titled beside the glittering, artist Justin Morin returned to Hyères, France last May with one of the most anticipated exhibitions at the 25th international Festival of Fashion and Photography, His installation Carrie was a multilayered mediation on narrative that examined the relationship between the benches used for seating at runway shows and the fashion show itself. The installation found its inspiration in the novel by Stephen King, the film by Brain de Palma and, perhaps most tellingly, in the artist’s own preoccupation with performance as it relates to the universe of fashion and art. The story of Carrie and how the young woman is banished and humiliated by her “friends,” and the way in which she avenges this treatment is what interested Morin. The spirit of the installation, presented in the pigeon loft of the gardens of the Villa Noailles, was that of a mise-en- scène of Carrie, reincarnated in architectural form. “I’m translating a critique of the cult of beauty. Carrie therefore serves to defend atypical norms and contradicts the canons of beauty,” said Morin. However, the artist insisted when The EP spoke with him “My artistic sensibility is not only limited to fashion. I’m deeply influenced by music, especially by composer Bernard Herrmann, and Minimal Art.” How so? Morin explains… To read the full interview, please click HERE.
Excellent conversation piece: Justin Morin's Babylone. (in collaboration with Billie Mertens). Synthetic hair sculptures (220x35 cm : 250x30 cm), October 2009, Dysfashional, Paris. Image via Justin Morin.
