Last thursday, Tokyo institution Lift opened the doors to their newly refurbished Lift Étage boutique in Daikanyama, celebrating the renovation with an exquisite temporary installation of hand portraits. Founders Minami and Masahiro Tsunoda collected a series of over twenty five photographs from their exclusive list of avant-garde designers, with the only conditions being ‘a black and white image of your hand’.

Their images came in from across the globe with many creative, sensual interpretations of Lift’s concept. From Ann Demeulemeester‘s crisp white table cloth and her porcelain hand grasping a feather, to Rick Owens’ lavish fur background and the gnarly, adorned hands of his wife Michele Lamy dipped in tar, a wide range of aesthetics have been broadcast through this seemingly narrow slate. Choosing to represent their profession, some designers toyed with the tools of the trade, grasping thimbles, fabric, and dressmaking pins (in the case of Dries Van Noten, above).

The overall effect is emotive and somewhat imposing, especially considering the dramatic highlight of Masahiro’s own hand, carved into a 2m high wooden sculpture that stands at the store’s new entrance.

Masahiro Tsunoda talks about the ‘Hand Portraits’ exhibition:

Individuals have their own icons. It can be a face, fingerprint… In opening this installation, we have put focus on “hands” as they form very important part of designs of the creators. We create sketches, write research reports, and make art works through this privilege we are born with. Each hand is different from one another, making it our biggest symbol of identity. Unfortunately, the image of hands, in other words, “the icon of creation”, is slowly fading away from people’s minds. To remind this maximum, but minimum source of creation we would like to present art exhibition created via the icon of individual people.

Participating designers:

CAROL CHRISTIAN POELL / UNITED NUDE / REINHARD PLANK / DRIES VAN NOTEN / ANN DEMEULEMEESTER /INES KAAG & DESIREE HEISS BY BLESS / KIMINORI MORISHITA BY 08 SIRCUS / SYBILLE WALTER & SAMUEL DRIRA BY ENCENS / JAS MB /MAURIZIO AMADEI BY m.a+ / STEPHAN SCHNEIDER / INCANATION / RUGGERO GUIDI BY GUIDI / DAMIR DOMA / GIORGIO BRATO / ISSEI AND SUSANNA BY LUMEN ET UMBRA / CORNELIAN TAURAS TEAM / TOMOAKI OKANIWA BY THE VIRIDI-ANNE / YOKO ITO BY INDIVISUAL SENTIMENTS / MIHARA YASUHIRO / OLIVIER THEYSKENS BY MONIKA BIELSKYTE / ALESSANDRO TINELLI / GUSTAVO LINS / ALEXANDER FIELDEN / RYUSAKU HIRUMA BY SAK / RICK OWENS / LUTZ / LUCA LAURINI BY LABEL UNDER CONSTRUCTION / LOST & FOUND / MUÑOZ VRANDECIC

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The ‘Hand Portraits’ exhibition runs from August 20th at the new Lift Étage store.

Moncheri 3F-2,20-20 Daikanyama-Cho,
Shibuya-Ku, Tokyo 1500034 150−0034
東京都渋谷区代官山町
20−20モンシェリー代官山3F-2

http://lift-net.co.jp/

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Above: Dries Van Noten’s hand portrait at Lift Étage, Tokyo.

Above: Rick Owens’ hand portrait with wife Michele Lamy at Lift Étage, Tokyo.

Above: Stephan Schneider’s hand portrait at Lift Étage, Tokyo.

Above: Ann Demeulemeester’s hand portrait at Lift Étage, Tokyo.

Above: Damir Doma’s hand portrait at Lift Étage, Tokyo, photographed by Sybille Walter.

Above: A wall of hand portraits at Lift Étage, Tokyo.

Above: A wall of hand portraits at Lift Étage, Tokyo.

Above: The 2m high carved wooden hand of Lift director Masahiro Tsunoda, at the entrance to Lift Étage, Tokyo.

Above: ‘Hand Portrait Project’ by Muñoz Vrandecic,   photo ©Muñoz Vrandecic.

Above: A view inside the newly refurbished space of Lift Étage, Tokyo.