Untitled 1996
An eleven-foot tall figure, visible only from the waist down, strides as if on a runway.
Description
False walls are constructed inside the gallery. The actual museum room is visible through the window at the far end of the constructed space. The fourteen-foot by fifty-foot floor is covered with polished steel on which the artist has written a poem in light green paint.
An eleven-foot tall figure, visible only from the waist down, strides as if on a runway. The larger than life sized legs wear Walker’s self-designed “Musketeer Pant,” which reveal sandal-clad feet with toenails painted a deep shade of purple-brown. The walls and floor coverings coordinate with the fabric used to clothe the figure, as in a fashion show.
Curated by Margery King
Andre Walker was born in London to West Indian parents, grew up in Brooklyn, and has been living and working in Paris since 1992. Self-taught as a designer, he began showing his work in New York nightclubs and drawing the attention of the fashion press in the mid-1980’s. He worked as the house designer at WilliWear and received sponsorship in Paris from Bjorn Amelan (partner of the late designer Patrick Kelly). His influences include designer Claire McCardell, couturier Charles James, and the West Indian women he knew in Brooklyn.