A version of this image is featured on a lightbox as part of the exhibition Eckhaus Latta: Possessed, on view August 3 through October 8, 2018 in the John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation Gallery, Whitney Museum of American Art. Photograph by Charlotte Wales; Art direction by Eric Wrenn; Modeling by Gemma Ward for IMG; Styling by Avena Venus Gallagher; Hair by Shingo; Makeup by Kanako Takase; Production by Blake Abbie, Spencer Morgan Taylor, and Carlos Garcia of Harbinger Creative; and Retouch by studioRM. Image courtesy Eckhaus Latta
Eckhaus Latta: Possessed
Aug 3–Oct 8, 2018
A version of this image is featured on a lightbox as part of the exhibition Eckhaus Latta: Possessed, on view August 3 through October 8, 2018 in the John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation Gallery, Whitney Museum of American Art. Photograph by Charlotte Wales; Art direction by Eric Wrenn; Modeling by Gemma Ward for IMG; Styling by Avena Venus Gallagher; Hair by Shingo; Makeup by Kanako Takase; Production by Blake Abbie, Spencer Morgan Taylor, and Carlos Garcia of Harbinger Creative; and Retouch by studioRM. Image courtesy Eckhaus Latta
Eckhaus Latta: Possessed highlights the work of Eckhaus Latta, a compelling young design team who belongs to a new generation of designers operating at the intersection of fashion and contemporary art. The New York- and Los Angeles-based fashion label was founded in 2011 by Mike Eckhaus (b. 1987) and Zoe Latta (b. 1987), who met as students at the Rhode Island School of Design. They are known for using unexpected materials, emphasizing texture and tactility in their designs, and for incorporating writing, performance, and video into their practice. Through collaborations with artists, musicians, and others, and an approach that plays both with and against industry conventions, Eckhaus Latta addresses the crosscurrents of desire, social relations, and consumption.
For their first solo museum exhibition, Eckhaus Latta will present a new three-part installation that embraces and brings into conversation various aspects of the fashion industry, from advertising and the consumer experience to voyeurism. The installation begins with a sequence of photographs that play on the tropes of iconic fashion photospreads, exploring how Eckhaus Latta’s unique aesthetic functions in relation to the highly polished look of the industry’s media. The core of Possessed is an operational retail environment in which visitors may touch, try on, and purchase clothing and accessories designed specifically for the show. Elements of the space—such as clothing racks, display shelves, and a dressing room—were created by more than a dozen artists with whom Eckhaus Latta has been in dialogue. The exhibition concludes with a darkened room, evocative of a security office, which features a bank of screens depicting surveillance footage. Visitors will have a voyeuristic view of the rest of the installation, as well as a glimpse into the tracking and surveillance that often accompanies the experience of shopping.
Eckhaus Latta: Possessed is organized by Christopher Y. Lew, Nancy and Fred Poses Associate Curator, and Lauri London Freedman, head of product development.
Major support for Eckhaus Latta: Possessed is provided by the John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation.
Additional support is provided by Thea Westreich Wagner and Ethan Wagner.
Collaborators
Susan Cianciolo (b. 1969, Providence, RI; lives and works in Brooklyn, NY)
Lauren Davis Fisher (b. 1984, Cambridge, MA; lives and works in Los Angeles, CA)
Avena Venus Gallagher (b. 1973, Seattle, WA; lives and works in New York, NY)
Jeffrey Joyal (b. 1988, Boston, MA; lives and works in New York, NY)
Alexa Karolinski (b. 1984, Berlin, Germany; lives and works in Los Angeles)
Valerie Keane (b. 1989, Passaic, NJ; lives and works in New York, NY)
Jay Latta (b. 1951, Santa Cruz, CA; lives in works in Santa Cruz, CA)
Matthew Lutz-Kinoy (b. 1984, New York, NY; lives and works between Los Angeles, CA and Paris, France)
Annabeth Marks (b. 1986, Rochester, NY; lives and works in New York, NY)
Riley O’Neill (b. 1992, Los Angeles, CA; lives and works in Los Angeles, CA)
Emma T. Price (b. 1987, Santa Cruz, CA; lives and works in Los Angeles, CA)
Jessi Reaves (b. 1986, Portland, OR; lives and works in New York, NY)
Régime des Fleurs (founded 2014; Los Angeles, CA)
Erica Sarlo (b. 1988, Briarcliff Manor, NY; lives and works in Brooklyn, NY )
Nora Jane Slade (b. 1986, Washington, D.C.; lives and works in Los Angeles, CA)
Sophie Stone (b. 1987, Boston, MA; lives and works in New York, NY)
Martine Syms (b. 1988, Los Angeles, CA; lives and works in Los Angeles, CA)
Torey Thornton (b. 1990, Macon, GA; lives and works in Brooklyn, NY)
Charlotte Wales (b. 1986, Farnborough, UK; lives and works in London, UK)
Eric Wrenn (b. 1985, Southfield, MI; lives and works in New York, NY)
Amy Yao (b. 1977, Los Angeles, CA; lives and works in Long Beach, CA and New York, NY)
Artists
Events
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Essay
Group Dynamics
By Christopher Y. Lew, Nancy and Fred Poses Associate Curator
The last ten years have proven to be a fertile time for young New York fashion designers, who have enriched not only the fashion industry, but art and culture more broadly.
Playlist
*A free Spotify account is required to listen to this playlist.
“We worked together to create this exhibition in the same way we build all of our Eckhaus Latta collections and spaces. From our L.A. store to our runway shows and pop-ups, we build them with each other as well as our broader community. The music is just one aspect of creating a complete and absorbing environment. We tend to lean towards more pensive, downtempo music (some could call it sad) and felt like that would be great for a fully encompassing environment where we're asking the guests to ask questions. We chose songs that evoked a feeling or a mood that we hope will add to the overall experience of being fully present in the exhibition.”—Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta
Installation Photography
Installation view of Eckhaus Latta: Possessed (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, August 2–October 8, 2018). Lightbox photograph: Photograph by Charlotte Wales; Art direction by Eric Wrenn; Modeling by Gemma Ward for IMG; Styling by Avena Venus Gallagher; Hair by Shingo; Makeup by Kanako Takase; Production by Blake Abbie, Spencer Morgan Taylor, and Carlos Garcia of Harbinger Creative; and Retouch by studioRM. Photograph by Jason Mandella
Installation view of Eckhaus Latta: Possessed (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, August 2–October 8, 2018). Lightbox photograph: Photograph by Charlotte Wales; Art direction by Eric Wrenn; Modeling by Gemma Ward for IMG; Styling by Avena Venus Gallagher; Hair by Shingo; Makeup by Kanako Takase; Production by Blake Abbie, Spencer Morgan Taylor, and Carlos Garcia of Harbinger Creative; and Retouch by studioRM. Photograph by Jason Mandella
Installation view of Eckhaus Latta: Possessed (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, August 2–October 8, 2018). Lightbox photographs: Photographs by Charlotte Wales; Modeling by Brigitt Doss, Michael Bailey Gates, May Hong, Tawan, and Gemma Ward for IMG; Styling by Avena Venus Gallagher; Art direction by Eric Wrenn; Hair by Shingo; Makeup by Kanako Takase; Casting by Rachel Chandler for Midland Agency; Production by Blake Abbie, Spencer Morgan Taylor, and Carlos Garcia of Harbinger Creative; and Retouch by studioRM. Photograph by Jason Mandella
Installation view of Eckhaus Latta: Possessed (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, August 2–October 8, 2018). Lightbox photographs: Photographs by Charlotte Wales; Modeling by Brigitt Doss, Michael Bailey Gates, May Hong, Tawan, and Gemma Ward for IMG; Styling by Avena Venus Gallagher; Art direction by Eric Wrenn; Hair by Shingo; Makeup by Kanako Takase; Casting by Rachel Chandler for Midland Agency; Production by Blake Abbie, Spencer Morgan Taylor, and Carlos Garcia of Harbinger Creative; and Retouch by studioRM. Photograph by Jason Mandella
Installation view of Eckhaus Latta: Possessed (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, August 2–October 8, 2018). Lightbox photographs: Photographs by Charlotte Wales; Modeling by Brigitt Doss, Michael Bailey Gates, May Hong, Tawan, and Gemma Ward for IMG; Styling by Avena Venus Gallagher; Art direction by Eric Wrenn; Hair by Shingo; Makeup by Kanako Takase; Casting by Rachel Chandler for Midland Agency; Production by Blake Abbie, Spencer Morgan Taylor, and Carlos Garcia of Harbinger Creative; and Retouch by studioRM. Photograph by Jason Mandella
Installation view of Eckhaus Latta: Possessed (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, August 2–October 8, 2018). Lightbox photographs: Photographs by Charlotte Wales; Modeling by Brigitt Doss, Michael Bailey Gates, May Hong, Tawan, and Gemma Ward for IMG; Styling by Avena Venus Gallagher; Art direction by Eric Wrenn; Hair by Shingo; Makeup by Kanako Takase; Casting by Rachel Chandler for Midland Agency; Production by Blake Abbie, Spencer Morgan Taylor, and Carlos Garcia of Harbinger Creative; and Retouch by studioRM. Photograph by Jason Mandella
Installation view of Eckhaus Latta: Possessed (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, August 2–October 8, 2018). On left, lightbox photographs: Photographs by Charlotte Wales; Modeling by Brigitt Doss, Michael Bailey Gates, May Hong, Tawan, and Gemma Ward for IMG; Styling by Avena Venus Gallagher; Art direction by Eric Wrenn; Hair by Shingo; Makeup by Kanako Takase; Casting by Rachel Chandler for Midland Agency; Production by Blake Abbie, Spencer Morgan Taylor, and Carlos Garcia of Harbinger Creative; and Retouch by studioRM. On right, back wall, left to right: Jessie Reaves, I’m a fan, 2018; Jeffrey Joyal, Untitled, 2018; Valerie Keane, Mirror, 2018; Annabeth Marks, wind injection, 2018. On right, front, left to right: Jay Latta, Glass domes, 2018; Sophie Stone, Flower Arrangement for POS, 2018; Matthew Lutz-Kinoy, Shop Boy Lamp, 2018. Photograph by Jason Mandella
Installation view of Eckhaus Latta: Possessed (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, August 2–October 8, 2018). Back, from left to right: Lauren Davis Fisher, Friendshuh Prototypes, 2018; Jessie Reaves, I’m a fan, 2018; Jeffrey Joyal, Untitled, 2018; Valerie Keane, Mirror, 2018. Front, from left to right: Jay Latta, Glass domes, 2018; Sophie Stone, Flower Arrangement for POS, 2018; Matthew Lutz-Kinoy, Shop Boy Lamp, 2018. Photograph by Jason Mandella
Installation view of Eckhaus Latta: Possessed (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, August 2–October 8, 2018). Left to right, front to back: Sophie Stone, Flower Arrangement for POS, 2018; Jeffrey Joyal, Untitled, 2018; Matthew Lutz-Kinoy, Shop Boy Lamp, 2018; Valerie Keane, Mirror, 2018; Annabeth Marks, wind injection, 2018; Martine Syms, Taurus, 2018; Nora Jane Slade, Criss cross bamboosauce, 2018; Riley O’Neill, Basil’s tissue scaffold, 2018. Photograph by Jason Mandella
Installation view of Eckhaus Latta: Possessed (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, August 2–October 8, 2018). Left to right, front to back: Sophie Stone, Flower Arrangement for POS, 2018; Jeffrey Joyal, Untitled, 2018; Matthew Lutz-Kinoy, Shop Boy Lamp, 2018; Valerie Keane, Mirror, 2018; Annabeth Marks, wind injection, 2018; Martine Syms, Taurus, 2018. Photograph by Jason Mandella
Installation view of Eckhaus Latta: Possessed (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, August 2–October 8, 2018). Left to right, front to back: Sophie Stone, Flower Arrangement for POS, 2018; Valerie Keane, Mirror, 2018; Annabeth Marks, wind injection, 2018; Martine Syms, Taurus, 2018. Photograph by Jason Mandella
Installation view of Eckhaus Latta: Possessed (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, August 2–October 8, 2018). Back wall: Lightbox photograph: Photograph by Charlotte Wales; Art direction by Eric Wrenn; Modeling by Gemma Ward for IMG; Styling by Avena Venus Gallagher; Hair by Shingo; Makeup by Kanako Takase; Production by Blake Abbie, Spencer Morgan Taylor, and Carlos Garcia of Harbinger Creative; and Retouch by studioRM. Front, from left to right: Sophie Stone, Flower Arrangement for POS, 2018; Jay Latta, Glass domes, 2018. Photograph by Jason Mandella
Installation view of Eckhaus Latta: Possessed (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, August 2–October 8, 2018). From left to right, top to bottom: Riley O’Neill, Basil’s tissue scaffold, 2018; Susan Cianciolo, Textile Curtain for dressing room, 2017–18; Amy Yao, Farmer John, 2018; Torey Thornton, Benching Hierarchy Console (EL), 2018; Martine Syms, Taurus, 2018; Susan Cianciolo, Dress Mirror frame, 2017–18; Eckhaus Latta, Beaded Curtain, 2018; Matthew Lutz-Kinoy, Slippery Shelf, 2018; Sophie Stone, Flower Arrangement for POS, 2018. Photograph by Jason Mandella
Installation view of Eckhaus Latta: Possessed (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, August 2–October 8, 2018). From left to right, front to back: Nora Jane Slade, Criss cross bamboosauce, 2018; Riley O’Neill, Basil’s tissue scaffold, 2018; Susan Cianciolo, Textile Curtain for dressing room, 2017–18; Lauren Davis Fisher, Friendshuh Prototypes, 2018; Sophie Stone, Untitled (Dressing Room Rug), 2018; Amy Yao, Farmer John, 2018; Torey Thornton, Benching Hierarchy Console (EL), 2018; Martine Syms, Taurus, 2018; Susan Cianciolo, Dress Mirror frame, 2017–18; Eckhuas Latta, Beaded Curtain, 2018. Photograph by Jason Mandella
Installation view of Eckhaus Latta: Possessed (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, August 2–October 8, 2018). From left to right, front to back: Sophie Stone, Flower Arrangement for POS, 2018; Lauren Davis Fisher, Friendshuh Prototypes, 2018; Jessi Reaves, I’m a fan, 2018; Matthew Lutz-Kinoy, Shop Boy Lamp, 2018; Jeffrey Joyal, Untitled, 2018; Martine Syms, Taurus, 2018; Valerie Keane, Mirror, 2018; Annabeth Marks, wind injection, 2018. Photograph by Jason Mandella
Installation view of Eckhaus Latta: Possessed (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, August 2–October 8, 2018). From left to right, front to back: Eckhuas Latta, Beaded Curtain, 2018; Sophie Stone, Untitled (Dressing Room Rug), 2018; Riley O’Neill, Basil’s tissue scaffold, 2018; Susan Cianciolo, Textile Curtain for dressing room, 2017–18; Torey Thornton, Benching Hierarchy Console (EL), 2018. Photograph by Jason Mandella
Installation view of Eckhaus Latta: Possessed (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, August 2–October 8, 2018). From left to right, front to back: Matthew Lutz-Kinoy, Shop Boy Lamp, 2018; Jeffrey Joyal, Untitled, 2018; Valerie Keane, Mirror, 2018; Eckhuas Latta, Beaded Curtain, 2018; Sophie Stone, Untitled (Dressing Room Rug), 2018; Riley O’Neill, Basil’s tissue scaffold, 2018; Amy Yao, DREAMS, 2018. Photograph by Jason Mandella
Installation view of Eckhaus Latta: Possessed (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, August 2–October 8, 2018). Surveillance footage on monitors: Film by Alexa Karolinski; Edited by Mary Clark. Surveillance footage locations: Eckhaus Latta, Los Angeles, CA; Galeries Lafayette, Paris, France; LN-CC, London, United Kingdom; Maryam Nassir Zadeh, New York, NY; Neighbor, Vancouver, Canada; Opening Ceremony, New York, NY; Robin Richman, Chicago, IL; Stand Up Comedy, Portland, OR; Tenoversix, Dallas, TX; The Four Eyed, Tokyo, Japan; The Store, Berlin, Germany; Totokaelo, New York, NY; SSENSE, Montreal, Canada. Photograph by Jason Mandella
In the News
“Possessed is not concerned with art’s boundaries and definitions, but with whether our ability to buy and sell a work is part of what we find attractive about it. It suggests that how we might own an object is, now, inherently part of how we value its aesthetics—even, or maybe especially, in a museum setting.”
—The Brooklyn Rail