Bjarne Melgaard
The Casual Pleasure of Disappointment
February 16–April 9, 2017
The Purge: February 14, 2017, 5–8pm
Red Bull Arts New York
220 W 18th St.
New York, NY
10011
Hours: Wednesday–Sunday noon–7pm
redbullartsnewyork.com
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Red Bull Arts New York is pleased to announce that its inaugural exhibition, under its new moniker, will be the first large-scale presentation of Norwegian artist Bjarne Melgaard’s ongoing project, The Casual Pleasure of Disappointment.
This Valentine’s Day, ahead of the US debut of The Casual Pleasure of Disappointment, Melgaard will be giving away his personal collection of designer fashion and streetwear free of charge to the public, on a first come, first serve basis. The hoard includes scores of pieces by Supreme, Maison Margiela, Lanvin, Huff, Eckhaus Latta, Yohji Yamamoto, Stussy, Issey Miyake, Comme des Garçons—as well as 100+ pieces from the new MELGAARD streetwear collection, which makes its world debut within this purge.
Centered around Red Bull Arts New York, which Melgaard and company have transformed into a multilevel, psycho-pathological department store that opens to the public on February 16, the space will be populated by an army of genetically enhanced mannequins in bespoke looks styled by Avena Gallagher.
Produced in collaboration with creative director Babak Radboy, the exhibition will feature a presentation of the eponymous menswear/unisex clothing line, MELGAARD, which violently embraces the obsessive and self-destructive aspects of fashion and consumerism. For Melgaard, fashion is a vague nothing at the intersection of a subject and an object—between inadequacy, self-deceit, victimization, ethical compromise, intellectual humiliation, financial/romantic entanglements and corporeal decay—driven by an infinite cycle of disappointment and desire. Adopting the strategies of commercial marketing, the exhibition will be accompanied by a suite of fashion editorials, look books, and brand identities, which will dress the windows of the installation. A music video made in collaboration with Jim Henson Company will also be on view.
Published on the occasion of the exhibition will be a limited edition magazine containing dozens of self-contained booklets, posters, and ephemera featuring photos, drawings, texts and collaborations including Roe Ethridge, Jason Nocito, Miguel Adrover, Heji Shin and more.
Please be advised The Casual Pleasure of Disappointment exhibition contains mature content. Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
About Bjarne Melgaard
Melgaard is a Norwegian artist (b. 1967 in Sydney, Australia), who lives and works in New York. Through his prolific output, Melgaard pushes the limits of social acceptance and forges a space where subcultures and parallel worlds can coexist with grounded prevalence. Aside from his encompassing artistic practice, which includes extensive solo exhibitions in the United States and abroad, Melgaard is a frequent curator, has written some 14 novels, released a number of films and produced a fashion line. He is represented by Gavin Brown’s enterprise in New York.
About Red Bull Arts New York
Recent projects include TOTAL PROOF: The GALA Committee 1995-1997 with Mel Chin and the GALA Committee (2016); We All Love Your Life by George Henry Longly (2016); BIO:DIP, a two-person solo show with Nicolas Lobo and Hayden Dunham (2016); Scenario In The Shade by Justin Lowe, Jonah Freeman, and Jennifer Herrema (2015); NEW INC: End-Of-Year Showcase presented in collaboration with the New Museum (2015); Alone Together by Ryder Ripps (2015); Spaced Out: Migration to the Interior, a group exhibition curated by Phong Bui and The Brooklyn Rail Curatorial Projects (2014); Living by Peter Coffin (2014); and DISown: Not for Everyone, by art collective DIS and curator Agatha Wara (2014). On February 16, Bjarne Melgaard’s The Casual Pleasure of Disappointment (2017) opens to the public.
Press contact
marcella [at] culturalcounsel.com