‘Figure Studies: A Performative Installation bridging Art, Identity and Fashion’

“Figure Studies”, a performative exhibition joining art with fashion conceived by theatre artist Andrew Ondrejcak, will be displayed at BOZAR’s Horta Hall as a pre-opening event for the European Development Days 2018. This original 60-minute installation of 12 figures is a new iteration of traditional portraiture in which various cultures, genders, histories and aesthetics are fused into a complex cast of characters.
The performance – a premiere – was conceived in collaboration with the Ethical Fashion Initiative, a programme that connects artisans from developing countries to the international fashion and lifestyle market. For this project, Ondrejcak worked with designers, artisans and women’s cooperatives from the Ethical Fashion Initiative’s network in Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Haiti and Mali, creating a visual language that focuses on layers of objects, textiles, hand-made amulets and iconography.
In “Figure Studies”, Ondrejcak re-envisions a collection of allegories for our contemporary world, with a diverse ensemble executing a series of live performances. The work explores the themes of Hope, Fame, Courage, Chastity, War, Love, Folly, and examines how these archetypes manifest themselves in our interconnected, global economy.
This project is a promotional activity of the ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative, which is funded by the European Union. The event was developed in collaboration with the European Commission DG for International Cooperation and Development (DEVCO) and BOZAR, with the support of MAD.

PERFORMERS include: Ms. Lila Magnin, M. Pitcho Womba Konga, Ms. Nathalie Bokongo Nkumu, Ms. Doris Bokongo Nkumu, Ms. Leïla Burnotte, M. Elie Tass, Ms. Kalieswari Srinivasan, M. Sabri Saad El Hamus, Kosi Hidama.

FASHION DESIGNERS include: Zolaykha Sherzad (Afghanistan), Bazem’Se (Burkina Faso), Paula Coles (Haiti), Mariane Montaut (Mali), Koro DK (Burkina Faso), Cooperative Djiguiyaso (Mali) and Groupement d’Interêt Economique CABES (Burkina Faso and Mali)