Ever since I lived in New York, I’ve been a fan of American shopping malls, such as the Mall of America with its 520 stores. There is a lot of life in and around these centers: skaters, fountains, sculptures and the smell of CK One everywhere. At the huge King of Prussia Mall near Philadelphia, you could get picked up in a Mercedes Benz 600. Designer and artist Shayne Oliver looks back at this most American of shopping experiences in the immersive Schinkel Pavillion installation Mall of Anonymous (opening tomorrow 11.08.2023). Curated by Fredi Fischli and Niels Olsen, the exhibition goes all the way back to 2004, when Oliver co-founded the fashion label Hood by Air and stars like A$AP Rocky and Rihanna started wearing his creations. On display will be both existing projects and those that are or will be created in collaboration with queer artists on site. Oliver was influenced by the queer community around the ballroom scene of the New York underground.
Clothing doesn’t always have to be practical and comfortable. It speaks to others. It can express deep wounds and traumas with therapeutic effect. Drag is balm for the soul. Heels make their wearer walk tall and immediately lend an elegance, a flamboyance that transforms a shy person into a persona. The moment is mine. It’s about transformation, as countless Greek sagas have shown. Shayne’s Cerberos, a cute, radioactive green Chihuahua that greets you in the Schinkel Building, also seems inspired by the classics: Cerberos is a three-headed dog that guards the gate to the underworld in Greek myth. I’m sure everyone will want to get in through this gate. Look forward to performance, fashion and music events (e.g. Leech aka Shayne Oliver with the GHE20G0TH1K sound on 18.08.2023) posted on the Schinkel Pavilion’s Instagram account. It’s new, it’s now, it’s wow!
Text: André Schlechtriem / Photos: Shayne Oliver Group
André Schlechtriem is co-founder of the gallery Dittrich & Schlechtriem which is currently showing Heute leider nicht by artist Simon Mullan.
@schinkelpavillon
@shayneoliver.group
