"Artist Relations". Wallpaper. By Glenn Waldron. March 2008.
excerpted quotes:
"And there have been relatively few artists whose work can fit into the restraints and demands of the fashion industry. In that way, Murakami is breaking new ground, and I don't know of anyone comparable". (Jeremy Strick, MOCA Director)
"One of the most radical aspects of Murakami's wok is his willingness both to embrace exploit the idea of his brand, to mingle his identity with a corporate identity and play with that. He realised from the beginning that if you don't address the commercial aspect of the work, it's somehow like the elephant in the room". (Paul Shimmel, MOCA Chief Curator)
"But one reason I admire Marc very much is that he doesn't care about trends. Marc has his won vision, and for him, using artists has always been a way to add more weight to that". (Yves Carcelle, President of LVMH Fashion)
"Bourgeoisie like to use intellectuals to clean up their soul. They think progressive, cutting-edge work is good for their image. So did they use me? Sure, and fairly cheaply. They didn't pay that much, just like a museum. But in some ways, I like to be used. I felt threatened in the store. It;s too much, too many shoes, too many bags, too much with the art. But I like to be threatened; it's like being in a war zone". (Vanessa Beecroft)
"Of course I was concerned with the idea that art is being used, and whether the context pf the work would be disruptive to the quality of the work. But in the end I decided it was OK. Besides, I'm being accused of things all the time, and selling out is just one of them".
"There are no autonomous non-political spaces left". (Olafur Eliasson)
"You work with an artist and you have to give them complete freedom. That is the price you have to pay".
"It took Marc five years to find another artist to work with and it isn't the kind of thing we want to do every season or even every spring. Maybe we won't do anything for another ten years - the last thing we would like everybody to think is that every year there will be new artists". (Yves Carcelle, President of LVMH Fashion)
"I had in mind that artists were closer to God in the creative hierarchy, more divinely inspired. I was just a designer and I felt I didn't have the right to think about art". (Marc Jacobs)
"We wanted to choose artists whose work already shows an affinity with the icons of Chanel. The company is like a modern-day Medici; it wants art expressed in the brand". (Peter Marino)
"As a company, Calvin Klein wants to be associated with what's new, what's current. We want energy".
"Of Course, the "art thing" is very fashionable right now, which can be a bit sickening - it seems very easy. But we're pleased by what we've done to support art over the years and hope we can do more, not just financially, but bring awareness to the customers we cater to". (Francisco Costa)
"With our field becoming the object of so much attention, it;s inevitable that artists are seen as kind of celebrities now".
"If art becomes the next Hollywood, well, I don't think we can stop that". (Francesco Vezzoli)
"Within the art world , there are certain suspicions of the artist's intentions, and what the benefits could be. And the assumption is that it's always the fashion industry making the approach".
"The obvious danger is indicated in the name: fashion. Fashion is temporal and transitory - as well it should be - but then for artists there's a danger that their work will be perceived in the same way, too. I also think there's a real problem treating the persona of the artist as the artwork".
"It depends entirely on whether it fits with in a particular artist's creative practice. And with someone like Murakami, it fits perfectly". (Jessica Morgan, Tate Modern)
It's about how we think now. We don't want to compartmentalise our lives - whether it's art, fashion, architecture, whatever. The limits just aren't clear anymore". (Yves Carcelle, President of LVMH Fashion).
