Taking place during the Gala closing party, The Olympia Installation will mark the launch of, “The Olympia Project,” as an ongoing photo series reminiscing on an era of controversial artwork in Paris, from the 1850s. By revisiting a distinct moment in art history where new perspectives on sex, taboo and feminine beauty revolutionized art and fashion up until today, we aim to revise this moment to add a new and current commentary.
The project focuses on selected photos from this era to serve as a reinterpretation, translation, and recreation from the perspective of the digital age and through the eyes of contemporary artists. Each photo will have a different feel, some leaning towards a high fashion concept and others focusing on the human aspect of the art.
The project plans to run for 2 years and will conclude with a show of limited edition prints in November 2018
The title “Olympia Project” stems from Edouard Manet’s 1865 Olympia, a painting influenced by photographs taken within Parisian brothels during this time period. The artwork subsequently shocked the world upon it’s release at the prestigious Paris Salon, as it depicted a courtesan gazing directly at the viewer while at the same time resembling the mythological Venus within Titian’s, Venus of Urbino.
Olympia’s confrontational gaze shocked and astounded the public during it’s first exhibition since a number of details in the picture identified her as a prostitute.
