So what does painter and writer Henri Fuseli of the 18th century have in common with 20th century designer Yōji Yamamoto? Local Art Base, commonly known as LAB!Born Johann Heinrich Füssli in 1741, Switzerland—the second of 18 children—Henri was eventually expelled from his homeland, sojourning in nearby countries like Germany, England, and Italy where he changed his name to the Italian-sounding Fuseli.
Somewhat reckless in technique, Fuseli painted more than 200 works before his death, often emphasizing supernatural themes. At times superior to his paintings, Fuseli's sketches total 800, many of which are known for their exaggerations.
On the other side of the globe, and several centuries later, Yamamoto Yōji was born in Tokyo, graduating in law from Keio University in 1966. He furthered his studies at Bunka Fashion College where he earned a degree in 1969.
After his 1981 debut in Paris, Yamamoto rose to fame as an avant-garde designer whose signature is the over-sized silhouette frequently in black with multi-textured drapery.
At his debut at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week, Sydney designer Chris Cheng of Local Art Base unexpectedly brought together European art and Japanese design.
In his LAB Homme “Debut” collection, Chris reinterpreted the supernaturalism of Fuseli’s paintings, the exaggerations of his sketches, and the romantic narrative of his literary works, encapsulating them in the inventiveness of Yamamoto's modern Japanese styling.
Photo top left by the Yorck Project Copyright Wikipedia Public Domain.
Slide show photos by David Taylor, LAB Homme "Debut" collection, Copyright Lab Art Base.
At his debut at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week, Sydney designer Chris Cheng of Local Art Base unexpectedly brought together European art and Japanese design.
In his LAB Homme “Debut” collection, Chris reinterpreted the supernaturalism of Fuseli’s paintings, the exaggerations of his sketches, and the romantic narrative of his literary works, encapsulating them in the inventiveness of Yamamoto's modern Japanese styling.
Photo top left by the Yorck Project Copyright Wikipedia Public Domain.
Slide show photos by David Taylor, LAB Homme "Debut" collection, Copyright Lab Art Base.
