06 Jul LeBasse Projects presents ‘Kigurumi’ New Work From Melissa Haslam
LeBasse Projects is proud to announce ‘Kigurumi’ the first major solo exhibition from Australian based artist Melissa Haslam.
Haslam returns to Los Angeles with a new body of work exploring her fascination with Kigurumi and drawing on the Melbourne Kigurumi scene. In her paintings, Haslam showcases her delicate color palate of oil portraits consisting of young women in their mid to late teens dressing in Kigurumi street fashion. Originating as a Japanese subculture, Kigurumi participants fashion themselves to resemble stuffed toy animals. Their clothing are usually called “disguised pajamas” are made up of full bodied pajamas with hood or hats styled after animals or cartoon characters and worn as everyday street wear, as opposed to “costumes”.
Haslam’s paintings express her interest in the nature of social role-playing, particularly in fashion. In these latest portraits, Halsam does not portray her figures as an individual, but as a stark representation and critique on social conformity. Here, her subject’s clothing act as a youth rebellion and by allowing a literal escape from the overt sexualization of the female image.
About Melissa Haslam
Australian painter Melissa Haslam began to focus on her fine art career in 2008 and has already begun to make a name for herself as an emerging artist to watch. Already published in several books including Curvy and Semi-Permanent, Haslam has made the leap from Melbourne, Australia to galleries in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York, as well as participation in Art Basel Miami. Already a part of the permanent collection of the 21C Museum in Louisville, KY as well as several notable collectors, Haslam is expected to continue her growth in the coming years.
LeBasse Projects
932 Chung King Rd. Los Angeles, CA 90012
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