My friend Miranda, actor and devoted fashion plate forwarded this clever concept by artist R. Lloyd Ming from the bag bunch.com blog! I love the juxtaposition between fashion and art or art and fashion featured on a fan site for designer bags. Attending the recent contemporary art fairs, Pulse, Scope and Bridge, design has become the focus or material in many artist statements.
Read the post on BagBunch.com
Is that the sound of Louis lovers the world over weeping? The financial crisis has left most of us cursing our empty wallets, yet R. Lloyd Ming has destroyed $12, 000 worth of Louis Vuitton Alma bags in the name of art!
The New York-based artist purchased a dozen of the four-figure purses from Louis Vuitton’s Manhattan store over the holidays. He then cut every one in half to create a sculpture. Surely this is sacrilege!
The work is part of Mr Ming’s new exhibition I Am Not Chinese, a display which explores the tenuous link between China and the United States of America. His art touches on topical themes like censorship, capitalism, communism, and human rights. But what about handbag rights?
“The work is called Vuitton Crucifix and it is a commentary on the new wealth and materialism that has been created in China,” Mr Ming explained. “However it can also refer to America and many other societies. As a result of China’s capitalist revolution the ranks of the rich and middle class are growing. However, capitalism often produces a culture of insecurity, were people can only find a sense of self worth or salvation through possessions and materialism. The Vuitton Crucifix sculpture is a reaction to this culture.”
It might have had its critics, but the notorious piece has found a place in the heart of a British art collector. Mr. Ming won’t divulge the price the buyer paid, but he would say “It wasn’t cheap.”
“But it should have been more. The buyer got a good deal; however with this economy all buyers of contemporary art are getting good deals right now. I guess I should feel fortunate that I sold anything at all because many artists are not selling.”
Would Mr Ming consider engaging in a Hermes Star of David project?