There is more than frivolous fashion and fabulous stories within Hannelore Knuts’ exhibition ‘ULTRAMEGALORE’ that opened last month in Hasselt, Belgium. Rather than sitting pretty as a muse for the project, Hannelore went ‘hands-on’, curating the entire exhibition herself – to impressive results. We already took a look at the fashion pieces here, but the artistic works are no less impressive – boasting contemporary pieces from internationally renowned artists with whom Hannelore shares mutual respect, friendships and shared histories. With a strong nod to her Belgian roots, many of the artists hail from her homeland, and others from her adopted playground of New York.

From Kendell Geers’ 2007 work ‘The devil you know’ dominating the main gallery with it’s flashing police lights, to Edward Lipski’s bambi statue, there is a sense of innocence and fun with an underlying darkness and questioning that permeates her selection. Belgian model and artist Griet Troch’s ballerina rabbit statues stand in sweeping curtsies alongside Lacroix bridal couture, and Peter Rogiers’ giant aquamarine insect ‘Bootsmann’ stands like an alien lifeform – framed on all sides by glossy fashion images from the likes of Inez & Vinoodh and David Sims.

David Altmejd’s untitled crystalline, hairy face sculpture is one of the eeriest sights in the exhibition, a study of metamorphosis and animalistic mutation that is suitably unsettling when placed next to the designer garments and personal artifacts from Hannelore’s past. Softer and with a more distinctly Belgian feel are the watercolours from Luc Tuymans, and Elizabeth Peyton’s portrait of the Libertine’s Pete Doherty and Carl Barat is a nod to her musical leanings (as are the videos and costumes from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs).

From her artistic selection Hannelore paints a clear picture of herself – a 21st century rock chick with a little girl still hiding inside – still dreaming of a fairytale, but with a little grime mixed with the glitter.

‘Untitled, 2005′ by David Altmejd.

‘Bootsmann’ by Peter Rogiers.

‘Bunnies’ by Griet Troch.

‘Apoteek’ by Luc Tuymans.
‘Bambi’ by Edward Lipski.

‘Pete & Carl’ by Elizabeth Peyton.

We are happy to announce the special partnership of Belgian model Hannelore Knuts and the ModeMuseum Hasselt in Belgium for a unique exhibition from March 27th 2010, displaying works from a wealth of international creative talent. With a distinguished modelling career spanning a decade, Hannelore has worked in the most prestigious fashion houses, crossed paths with many of the world’s best fashion photographers, and met many interesting artists from Belgium and elsewhere along the way. As well as a learned photographer, Hannelore is currently the model ambassador for Antwerp-based AIDS awareness charity, Designers Against Aids.

Curating the exhibition herself, Hannelore has called upon ‘connected souls’ to contribute to ‘ULTRAMEGALORE‘, including A#3′s Haider Ackermann – from whose magazine comes the above poster image by Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin.

The exhibit will include a fashion selection from the likes of Jean Paul Gaultier, Prada, Rick Owens and several Belgian designers, such as Haider, A.F Vandevorst and Maison Martin Margiela.

Complementing the physical garments will be fashion photography from the likes of Juergen Teller, Ronald Stoops, Miles Aldridge, Alex Salinas and Serge Leblon.

Also displayed will be artistic works by Kendell Geers, David Sherry, Luc Tuymans, Elizabeth Peyton and more.

ULTRAMEGALORE promises to be a landmark event for the small museum, located in Hannelore’s birth city of Hasselt, and is set to attract significant critical attention for the exciting content and scale of the project. While Hannelore insists it is not retrospective nor homage to the ‘supermodel’, we are promised a confronting insight into her artistic and cultural sphere. One surely not to miss.

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ULTRAMEGALORE – Fashion Icon Testimony
(27th March – 6th June 2010)
Modemuseum Hasselt
Gasthuisstraat 11
3500 Hasselt
Belgium

www.modemuseumhasselt.be

In one of the more controversial contributions to A Magazine, Riccardo Tisci has selected the work of South African artist Kendell Geers, with a profound religious and political statement that adds a shocking gravity to the wider themes of A#8.

Pictured by Lydie Nesvadba, Kendell’s wooden sculpture of Jesus Christ is entirely printed over with the word ‘fucking’ in a mirrored form, the mirroring being the only subtlety to the work. Nailed to an invisible cross, the traditional image of the Christian saviour has been defaced with the modern blasphemy. The piece is a continuation of Geers’ exploration of the mythical, religious and sexual iconography of modern and ancient history. He explains his choice of swear words below, in an excerpt from his 2009 essay “The Word Made Flesh”. Many thanks to Kendall for his contribution to A Blog.

“Irrespective of its origins or etymology, Fuck is as profane and
offensive today as it was a century ago and its meaning has not
changed much although it has certainly picked up speed. Fuck always
seemed to suggest somewhat more than just intercourse or copulation
and somehow put a more animal or primal spin on the idea of coitus.

The power and magic of this mere four letter word is best exemplified
by the fact that even to this day it remains forbidden on MTV, the
fortress of everything transient, transgressive and fashionable. I
have long maintained that if you want to destroy something make it
into a fashion and that is precisely the function of MTV (or “EMPTY V”
as I prefer to call it) Every subversive concept or revolutionary idea
from Punk to Ché Guevara gets digested and destroyed into a three week
make over on MTV only to be then re-issued as a perfume or t-shirt.
And yet you still cannot say Fuck !

We call it a “swear” word or a “curse” word and perhaps therein lies
the key to its secret identity. We swear an oath or swear on the Bible
in order “to make a solemn declaration, invoking a deity or a sacred
person or thing, in confirmation of and witness to the honesty or
truth of such a declaration.” Similarly a curse is also ” a prayer or
an invocation for harm or injury to come upon one” or “an
ecclesiastical censure or anathema.” ” – by Kendell Geers

“I am living in a time where Contradiction, Truth, Desire, Passion and Anarchist are nothing more than the names of perfumes. I live in an age of digital reproduction where truth no longer exists in an image, where every image can be altered and changed and anybody can be erased from or inserted into history.”

The words of South African artist Kendell Geers are a dark interpretation of the reality of modern life, and start somewhat to explain the violent outbursts that Geers contributes to the world of art as well as a wider existential context.

Haider Ackermann chose two of Geers’ monochrome graphic paintings from the acclaimed series ‘La Sainte Vièrge’ or ‘The Blessed Virgin” for A#3.

Taking such a historical and culturally hallowed subject as the Virgin of Catholicism and representing the deity as a toe-sucking, gratuitously nude and graffiti-esque pen and ink drawing is Geers’ par for the course – he once covered Jesus on the crucifix entirely in packing tape. Enough said.

More from the series below: