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Virgil Abloh and Alex Israel design face masks for MOCA


The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles has collaborated with nine artists for a series of limited-edition face masks. — Picture courtesy of MOCA via AFP-Relaxnews
The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles has collaborated with nine artists for a series of limited-edition face masks. — Picture courtesy of MOCA via AFP-Relaxnews

LOS ANGELES, Aug 7 — As museums around the world continue to contend with the economic realities of the coronavirus pandemic, Los Angeles’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) is offering artist-designed face coverings to support its programme.

The masks were designed by a selection of nine international artists and collectives, including Virgil Abloh, Mark Grotjahn, Alex Israel, Barbara Kruger, Yoko Ono and Catherine Opie.

Pipilotti Rist, Hank Willis Thomas, and The Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts have also contributed to the project, which is described as upholding “the museum’s commitment to making the experience of art accessible and encouraging the urgency of contemporary expression.”

Many of the masks were exclusively designed by participating artists for this project while others represent iconic works from their catalogue.

Alex Israel’s contribution, aptly titled “Mask for MOCA,” includes a pair of detachable pins representing a smiling avocado and a self-portrait of the Los Angeles-based multimedia artist.

Catherine Opie’s “Bo from Being and Having (detail)” mask uses photography to challenge gender as performance and social construct, as most of the American photographer’s oeuvre.

 

 

 

Announcing #MOCAMasks: Available Now! Launching today, @mocastores is proud to offer limited-production, artist-designed face masks to benefit the museum in response to the COVID-19 safety and health guidelines. The masks are designed by nine participating artists; Virgil Abloh (@virgilabloh), Mark Grotjahn (@markgrotjahn), Alex Israel (@alexisrael), Barbara Kruger (@barbarakruger45), Yoko Ono (@yokoonoofficial), Catherine Opie (@csopie), Pipilotti Rist (@pipilotti_rist_studio), Hank Willis Thomas (@hankwillisthomas), and The Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts (@warholfoundation). Many of the masks were exclusively designed by the artists for this project while others represent iconic works from the artists’ catalogue. Follow along this week as @mocastores takes over our account to celebrate the launch! . The masks retail at $28 USD each and are now available online via MOCA Store. All masks are crafted in Los Angeles and vary in fabric depending on the design. The mask shape is meant to fit a wide range of faces comfortably and securely, including children over 10 years old. Masks can be adjusted based on construction and are made with two layers of fabric, featuring a pocket on the inside that fits a disposable filter for an added layer of protection. . Shop now via the link in bio and share yours using #MOCAMasks! . Special thank you to Citizens of Humanity (@citizensofhumanity) for production and support! . [© 2020 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Licensed by Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.]

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“Each artist saw [making masks] as a very serious opportunity to bring art into daily life, and to make it caring and protective, which is what I think the masks should be. Of course, it has to be a design that fits into the shape of the mask, but each artist found an interesting way for form to follow function,” MOCA director Klaus Biesenbach told Vogue of the project.

All MOCA masks were manufactured in Los Angeles and vary in fabric depending on the design. These coverings were designed to fit a wide range of faces comfortably and securely, including children over 10 years old.

The nine MOCA masks are available individually for US$28 (RM117) via the museums’ webstore, although art-loving fashionistas can also purchase the entire limited-edition series for US$280.

“Being a responsible and caring citizen amongst citizens just became even more beautiful because of these artists’ contributions!” Biesenbach added in a statement.

In May, the Contemporary Art Society similarly invited four British contemporary artists to customise face coverings, as part of the “CAS Rapid Response Fund” crowdfunding campaign.

 

David Shrigley, Eddie Peake, Yinka Shonibare and Linder participated in the initiative, during which a set of all four face masks would be the reward for a donation of £120 to the CAS Rapid Response Fund. — AFP-Relaxnews





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