Fashion, art and photograpy

Sandra Backlund’s intense creations will leave no spectator indifferent.

Visiting the Tel -Aviv Museum with the intention of  viewing an Israeli artist’s  work,  I came across  a stunning exhibition of the Swedish design artist Sandra Backlund. I was instantly  drawn to the intense beauty and intricateness  of the fashion items.

Backlund’s sculptural forms, although built around the body and therefore largely mimicking its innate profile, frequently have a three- dimensional quality, that suggests their ability to hold their shape even off the body.

The visual impact of this exhibition is  enhanced by the photographer Olga Bergengren’s accompanying photographs, arranged  behind each art work .The  close-up  photographs  intensify Backlund’s work,  dramatizing the intricate yet bold thick, heavy-knit pieces .

Backlund primarily works with knitwear but she has experimented with other materials and ways of working. In the above piece she used paper with an origami folding techniques.

crochet-top-ank-hand-knitted-skirt

I find the works very sophisticated and complex but at the same time very organic and low-tech. A web piece on the artisit captures what I felt:

“Backlund’s design aesthetic is sculptural, architectural and dynamic. Striving to exaggerate and accentuate the female form, Backlund fluctuates proportions, producing designs that are simultenously sci-fi and warm, as she works with heavy wool, paper and more recently hair. By fusing futuristic design with tactile and familiar materials Backlund has manged to transform the very meaning of knitwear into a piece of sculpture, a piece of moving art.

http://forwardcouncil.com/p/80/sandra-backlund-interview

I found myself wondering around the identity  of the  pieces , not sure what I am seeing and what I like more . Are these just beautifully executed  clothing to be worn as practical objects,  or  is it  stand alone art  to be appreciated for its innate artistic quality? Would the photographs , dramatic in their own right, pass on their own without the accompanying original items ,as art ?

I would love to read your opinion, my blog readers!

Have a wonderful week!

Sara