Jonathan Anderson's Loewe costumes make the perfect match for performance artist Anthea Hamilton at Tate Britain
If you like your art a little more interactive than canvases sitting in a frame and sculptures on a plinth, The Squash is for you.
Created for the annual Tate Britain Commission, which invites contemporary British artists to create new artwork in response to the grand space of the Duveen Galleries, this year's immersive installation combines performance and sculpture by 2016 Turner Prize nominee Anthea Hamilton.
The artist, in tandem with her good friend, Loewe creative director and designer Jonathan Anderson, has created seven somewhat surreal, spiffy and spoofy costumes to be worn by the cast. Hamilton has transformed the heart of Tate Britain into an elaborate stage for the continuous six-month performance of a single character, dressed in a colorful squash-like costume.
More than 7,000 white floor tiles have been laid across the Duveens and encase a series of large sculptures that serve as podiums for a number of works of art from Tate's collection, chosen by Hamilton for their organic forms and colors. The tiles create an immersive new environment within the neoclassical galleries.
Each day, the show focuses on a single character, dressed in one of seven colorful Loewe costumes inspired by the colors and shapes of squashes and pumpkins. The clothes also feature voluminous sleeves, bold patterns and legume-style headwear. Each performer selects a costume that reflects their presentation of that day's characters as they move around the space.
The organic texture of the costumes was created using handpainted leather and printed silk crepon, while 1970s clothing references have shaped some of the silhouettes. (And note the somewhat surprising retro-reference to the sea monsters from the BBC's long-running TV series Doctor Who.)
