For Gentle Monster, doing things differently comes naturally. The eyewear company, started in 2011 by Hankook Kim, has grown into an internationally known label built on experimentation and innovative creativity, marrying art and approachability. So it should be no surprise that this marriage was particularly evident at the recent photographic exhibition, “The Selfish Eyes”, held at the Ed Bennett Studio in the West Village. The Gentle Monster Spring/Summer 2015 collection was shown alongside the lively images.
The portraits, shot by Ssam Kim and sponsored by Gentle Monster, involved showcasing people passionate about art, music, and fashion. Subjects included Kat DeLuna, ASTR, Gabe Saporta, and Katie Gallagher, to name a few. The portraits were highly stylized- classic studio beauties with nothing unplanned about them. Flattering lighting, tasteful makeup, and captivating expressions all worked harmoniously to make for a great body of work. Importantly, and despite the perfect nature of the images, the viewer never felt distant from the portraits. In fact, the work was so effective it felt as though I knew the subjects all along. That’s approachability. Ansoni, the creative director, affirmed this by saying “For ‘The Selfish Eyes’, [Gentle Monster] wanted personalities rather than models.” There were no sunglasses worn in the portraits, but this exhibit felt like a natural extension of Gentle Monster’s philosophy. Ansoni would credit this to the exhibit’s focus on the power of subconscious and uncertainty.
For the collection, sunglasses were framed in fascinating ocean-themed still-lives, making the glasses part of the artwork. A pair of sunglasses with fishbone frames rest in a pile of sand. A futuristic all-metal pair hangs from a wire. A tortoiseshell pair literally lies alongside a tortoise’s shell. A geometric pair in matte black sits among beakers and bottles. A white shark-tooth inspired pair is perched on a skull sculpture. Many came in beautiful, irresistible colors. All the pieces look heavy and all the pieces look well made. And they were, because unlike most art, guests were invited to touch the sunglasses, examine them, even wear them. According to creative director Ansoni, this was important because it helps break down the wall that seems to exist between art and viewer, company and consumer.
The designs have a vintage feel, but are completely dreamed up and handmade in-house. For this particular collection, it was challenging, but vital, to realize the fantastic, seemingly unrealistic ideas of timeless oceanic treasures, distant sea life, the history of ocean exploration, and distill these ideas into eyewear. But it worked perfectly, with clear steampunk and modernist inspiration in many of the pieces. Some look more like machines than eyewear, with sharp angles and brazen use of metal; whereas some look have softer silhouettes that remind one of butterflies or fish with beautiful, colorful prints and patterns.
This is Gentle Monster’s first US sponsorship of art, and it will continue to mix art with its experimental approach to business. It definitely different, but it’s definitely welcome. Available in South Korean showrooms and online Spring 2015. www.gentlemonster.com
-Benjamin Schmidt
