This Fall, Ukrainian Artist, and sculptor Lina Condes was among the best and brightest talent exhibiting at this season’s New York Fashion Week. By juxtaposing the Art and Fashion, Lina made a statement in the world’s natural synergies at the Angel Orensanz Foundation for their annual event, Art Hearts Fashion. Exhibited alongside the works of icons Leonor Fini and Karen Bystedt, over twenty designer collections took to the catwalk alongside her installations.
Born in Cherkassy, Ukraine, Condes received her BA and her Masters in Design from the Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design. She was once a contestant for the Miss Ukraine beauty pageant and then redirected her efforts towards art production and design during Ukrainian Art Week (Kiev), the MAGMART Film Festival (Naples), and the Berlin Fashion Film Festival. More recently, Condes has installed solo presentations of her work at the M17 Contemporary Art Centre (Kiev), SV Gallery (Beirut), and with Avant Gallery (Miami) for the 2016 edition of the SCOPE Art Fair.
Among the attendees at Art Hearts Fashion were celebrities, fashion experts, and influence, mingling and interacting with the art and fashion as they took to their seats. Colored lights reflected a bright, trendy atmosphere for the cutting edge fashion designers to exhibit their Spring and Summer 2019 shows, while VIP guests were able to enjoy a selection of hors-d’oeuvres and cocktails as they experienced the works around them.
“In my experience, Art and fashion are intrinsically linked more so than ever, so I had a lot of fun at this year’s New York Fashion Week. Artists and designers are creators of our environment and our space. This timely combination sets both a mood and environment, which implies the practice of positive thinking and visualizations as we captured the pulse of New York City in this iconic location. I believe by using this incredible energy, we’ll stick-figure with peace of mind and enduring happiness,” says Condes.
The pieces exhibited incorporate principles of bionic architecture and design. They appear simplistic and crude (the globally-known symbol of the “stick figure” implies a lack of understanding or a refusal to emulate our three-dimensional surroundings), but once finished, they communicate gestures which no machine could fully replicate. A full series these ‘stick figures’ are engaged in motions recalling sexual intercourse; there is no indication of identity, no indication of response or stimulus from these seemingly ‘dead’ pieces of steel. The works provoke the question: where are we from? what are our vices? how can we move forward with respect for all?
Delving into deeper concepts through her works, Lina aims for her stick figure series to be thought-provoking, exploring topics such as human identity, equality, and acceptance. “I believe that using powerful visual aspects of art and fashion which draw your attention with the strong message, an artist has the ability to generate a dialogue in cities all over the world, and a conversation about social concerns or even global social topics.,” she explains.
“It brings community to places society has deemed ‘unfit,’ and connects people across racial and social divides, encouraging individuals to interact, participate and celebrate one another.”
Speaking more with Lina, I enjoyed learning about what inspired her to create these interactive visuals, and paying homage to renowned figures within the arts and fashion community such as Salvador Dali, and Elsa Schiaparelli. She notes many strong collaborations with brands as well, and how they look to figures such as Piet Mondrian, Damien Hirst, and more. The stick figures series will head to Miami and be exhibited during Art Basel Week at the fairs as well as at The Fountainbleu Miami Beach, so be sure to stay on the lookout, as only time will tell where these figures will pop up next in a city near you!