ARCHIVED MEDIA RELEASE
PA/07/07 24 March 2007
Textile exhibition by top Australian designer Akira Isogawa opens in Delhi today
Two major exhibitions from Australia, “Akira Isogawa: Printemps-Ėtė and Beyond Metal” will be inaugurated by the Australian High Commissioner to India, Mr John McCarthy, on Saturday, 24 March 2007, at the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi.
“The exhibitions are part of a two-year cultural promotion in India, AusArts India: films, arts, literature. The program has been a success across India, including in Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai and Hyderabad,” said Mr John McCarthy, Australian High Commissioner to India.
From Delhi, the exhibitions will move to Mumbai in April. Beyond Metal was recently displayed in Chennai and will also be taken to Bangalore.
Akira Isogawa: Printemps-Ėtė charts the creative journey behind the production of Isogawa’s Printemps-Ėtė collection 2005, which he presented during the Paris Fashion Week in October 2004. The exhibition reveals the process by which Isogawa, one of Australia’s most successful designers, has transformed his sources of inspiration into garment form.
Akira’s inspiration for this collection stems from two key sources. The first centres on a series of paper dolls discovered by him and long-time collaborator Christiane Lehmann at a Sydney antique market. The second inspiration was Isogawa’s collaboration with master origami maker Takahiro Shirai. Here the Japanese art of paper folding becomes a basis for the series of ingenious garments and accessories in fabric.
BEYOND METAL: Contemporary Australian Jewellery and Holloware is characterised by a uniquely Australian aesthetic that embraces raw as well as recycled materials, innovative design and use of technology and a respectfully playful approach to tradition. Conventions have been expanded and invigorated by introducing new ideas, processes and materials. This exhibition encourages reflection on perceptions of jewellery making and metal smithing as it introduces and emphasizes the quality and value of design in the work of contemporary Australian practitioners.
The exhibitions are presented as part of AusArts India: film, arts literature, a two-year Australian Government program of Australian contemporary arts in India. Focusing on film, visual art and design, literature and the performing arts, the initiative showcases the vitality and innovation of current Australian arts practice.
The exhibitions will be on view at the Lalit Kala Akademi from 24 March to 4 April from 11.00 am to 7.00 pm.
For further information, please contact Mr Shekhar Nambiar, Senior Adviser, Public Affairs & Cultural Relations, Australian High Commission, on 98101 54167.