"CFGNY is having a big spring. The self-proclaimed 'vaguely Asian' art and fashion collective is in a group exhibition about the production and representation of Asian fashion at Pioneer Works, transforming the third floor into a cardboard-lined shipping container filled with studio portraits shot in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, a growing fashion hub."
"But what does CFGNY stand for? Officially, 'Concept Foreign Garments New York'; sometimes, 'Cute Fucking Gay New York.' Or, if the scrolling banner on their website is to be believed, 'Cancelled Forever Gone New York,' 'Crabbing Fishing Golfing New York,' 'Cult Freaks Galore New York,' ad infinitum. That litany of names gets at the spirit of their project - funny, playful, slippery work, which includes video, performance, sculpture, architectural installation, and more."
"In an era when Asian-American discourse has largely festered into conversation about China-maxxing, and WMAF relationships, the collective's approach is a genuinely refreshing way into identity that expands rather than constrains it, that isn't corny but doesn't take itself too seriously."
CFGNY is a New York-based art and fashion collective experiencing significant visibility in spring 2024 through multiple major exhibitions. The group's name officially stands for 'Concept Foreign Garments New York,' though their website playfully cycles through alternative meanings, reflecting their humorous and slippery artistic approach. Their work spans video, performance, sculpture, and architectural installation. Currently, they are featured in a Pioneer Works exhibition about Asian fashion production and representation, displaying studio portraits from Ho Chi Minh City. Simultaneously, Amant is presenting their collaborative ceramics and water clocks inspired by the No Name Painting Association from China's Cultural Revolution. For the Whitney Biennial, they created an architectural installation with translucent walls and stretched plastic featuring ceramics and a soft caterpillar sculpture. The collective's approach offers a refreshing perspective on Asian-American identity that expands rather than constrains discourse.
#asian-american-art-and-fashion #contemporary-art-collectives #identity-and-representation #multidisciplinary-artistic-practice #whitney-biennial-2024
Read at Hyperallergic
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]