fantich & young - barrett barrera
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Fantich & Young
© Copyright 2018. Barrett Barrera Projects. All Rights Reserved.01
About
© Copyright 2018. Barrett Barrera Projects. All Rights Reserved.01
Mariana Fantich & Dominic YoungMariana Fantich, born and raised in the Ukraine, is an artist and digital media specialist and Dominic Young is an English musician and artist. Since 2008, they have collaborated under the name Fantich & Young and are currently based in London’s East End. The duo juxtaposes and manipulates symbolic ready-made objects including Saville Row suits and Jimmy Choo shoes - in order to parallel both natural and social evolution, calling into question the theory of natural selection with nods to ceremonial ritual and the supernatural - a concept they term Darwinian Voodoo.
Their Apex Predator project, an outgrowth of Darwinian Voodoo, was inspired by the 2008 financial crisis. Luxury consumer goods augmented with ritualistic items such as teeth, bones, and hair represent the banking community and its escape from
(cont’d.)
© Copyright 2018. Barrett Barrera Projects. All Rights Reserved.01
criminal prosecution. Darwin’s notion of “survival of the fittest” is called into question when society is faced with banks whose criminal actions went unpunished. The financiers thus become the titular Apex Predator - topping the food chain, facing no real, threat, and possessing perhaps a touch of the supernatural.
Fantich & Young’s works critique the tenets of Social Darwinism, challenging the idea of human supremacy by emphasizing our animalistic natures. As an alternative, they advocate for a greater focus on collaboration rather than competition. Despite the highly academic theories underpinning their work, however, the pair encourage viewers to drive their own meanings, citing Duchamp’s statement that the viewer adds an important dimension to the creative act. The strong public reaction to Apex Predator, and the plethora of interpretations that resulted, showcases Fantich & Young’s ability to effectively merge the creative disciplines of fine art, design, and fashion.
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Career
© Copyright 2018. Barrett Barrera Projects. All Rights Reserved.01
Curriculum Vitae
Mariana Fantich Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education Art, Design and Communication, University of the Arts London
Master of Fine Arts in Media, Slade School of Art, University College London
Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art, Middlesex University
Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art, Lviv National Academy of Arts
Dominic Young Master of Arts in Printmaking, Camberwell College of Arts
Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art, Guildhall University
Mariana Fantich, a native of the Ukraine, and Dominic Young, from Bristol, England, are currently based in East London.
Education Solo Exhibitions
2017
Apex Predator | Darwinian Voodoo, Wynwood Arts District, Miami, USA
2016
Fantich & Young, SOFA Expo, Chicago, USA
Apex Predator | Darwinian Voodoo, BBT Luxury Lifestyle Expo, ADNEC, Abu Dhabi
Fantich & Young, Houston Art Fair, Houston, USA
2015
Apex Predator | Darwinian Voodoo,
projects+gallery, St. Louis, USA
Fantich & Young, SOFA Expo, Chicago, USA
2012
Artist Open Studio, Fantich & Young Studio, London, UK
2011
Double Games, Red In Tooth And Claw, See Studio, London, UK
2010
Artist Open Studio, Fantich & Young Studio, London, UK
2018
A Queen Within: Adorned Archetypes, New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, USA
RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom, Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, USA
2017
XOXO, Des Lee Gallery, St. Louis, USA
See Yourself E(x)ist, Pratt Manhattan Gallery, New York City, USA
Shoetopia, The Valade Family Gallery, Detroit, USA
Jan Jansen Shoe Treasures, Amsterdam
High Heels, Die hohe Kunst der Schuhe, Internationale Künstler and Designer
The Object as Mirror, projects+gallery, St. Louis, USA
2016
People & Other Creatures, projects+gallery, St. Louis, USA
Haute Hip-Hop, projects+gallery, St. Louis, USA
Inspirations Space: WILD, Maison & Objet, Paris, France
2015
Utopian Bodies: Fashion Looks Forward, Liljevalchs Konsthall, Stockholm, Sweden
Group Exhibitions
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2014
Whit Perspectives, Somerset House, London, UK
History Under Your Feet, Spielzeug Welten Museum, Basel, Switzerland
Shoe Show, 360 MALL, Main Atrium, Al Zahra, Kumwait
The Threadneedle Prize 2014: Figurative Art Today, Mall Galleries, London, UK
SHOEting Stars: Shoes in Art and Design, Museum Hundertwasser, Vienna, Austria
Shoe Show, 360 MALL, Main Atrium, Al Zahra, Kuwait
The Threadneedle Prize 2014: Figurative Art Today, Mall Galleries, London, UK
SHOEting Stars: Shoes in Art and Design, Museum Hundertwasser, Vienna, Austria
Friday Late, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK
2013
Auf Schritt und Tritt, Villa Rot Museum, Burgrieden, Germany
Creekside Open 2013 Selected by Ceri Hand, A.P.T. Gallery, London, UK
Group Exhibitions (cont’d.)
Starker Auftritt!, Grassi Museum of Applied Arts, Leipzig, Germany
Skin No. 1, OUKAN, Concept Store for Japanese and International Avant-Garde, Berlin, Germany
2012
Juxtaposition, See Studio, London, UK
On Fire, Old Fire Station, London, UK
Is This A Warning?, New Inn Yard, London UK
2010
Double Games, Red In Tooth And Claw, See Studio, London, UK
2009
Art of the STITCH, Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest, Hungary
Art of the STITCH, Fundación Valentín de Madariaga - MP, Seville, Spain
2008
Art of the STITCH, Deutsches Textilmuseum, Krefeld, Germany
Art of the STITCH, Waterhall Gallery, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, UK
© Copyright 2018. Barrett Barrera Projects. All Rights Reserved.01
© Copyright 2018. Barrett Barrera Projects. All Rights Reserved.01
Select Press2017
“Where Kink, Fashion, Art and Politics Come to Play Together,” Playboy Magazine
“A Wynwood Pop-Up Will Sell Luxury Goods Adorned With Human Teeth and Hair,” Miami New Times
“Apex Predator,” Miami Herald
Evolutionary Creativity: the Work of Art Collective Fantich & Young,” Oasis Magazine
2016
“How to Create Art in a Gentrified World?” 1 Granary
2015
“Exploring the Darker Side of Fashion,” Hint Fashion Magazine
“Fantich & Young—Apex Predator,” Whitezine
“O Mordi I Ti Mordono,” FrizziFrizzi Magazine
“Harder, Stronger, Richer: Teeth-Laden Fashion for the 1% by Fantich & Young,” Yatzer
“Darwinian Voodoo by Fantich & Young ‘Apex Predator’ Collection,” HANGER Magazine
“Apex Predator,” I.T. Post
“Fantich & Young,” Overchic
2014
“Fantich & Young’s Toothy Shoe Sculptures for their ‘Apex Predator’ Series,” Hi-Fructose Magazine
“Hungry Heels: Some Designs Require a Reservation,” Heaven Has Heels Magazine
“Apex Predator Shoes by Fantich & Young,” London Street Design Magazine
“Fantich & Young Implacts Teeth into the Soles of Mary Janes,” Designboom
2013
“Auf Schritt und Tritt’ in the Villa Rot Museum,” Südwest Presse
“Elegant Zum Affen gemacht,” Frankfurter Allgemeine
“Spooky-Couture: The Fashion Show from Hell, Via Fantich & Young,” The Independent
“Fantich & Young,” ROOMS Magazine
“Enjoy Your Nightmares! Shoes Soles Made of Dentures and Other Gritty Ephemera,” Fast Company Design
2012
“Evolutionary Creativity: The Work of Art Collective Fantich & Young,” Oasis Magazine
“Apex Predator Shoes by Fantich & Young,” Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine
“Predator shoes have teeth for soles,” New York Daily News
“Footwear with Bite!” Daily Mail
“Shoes Made of Teeth: Art or Stupid?” Vice Magazine
“Fearsome Feets of Art,” Citizen Brooklyn
© Copyright 2018. Barrett Barrera Projects. All Rights Reserved.01
© Copyright 2018. Barrett Barrera Projects. All Rights Reserved.01
Contact:
Susan Barrett Founder & President [email protected] 314.283.8511
Kelly Peck Vice President [email protected] 314.696.8678
Barrett Barrera Projects 4738 McPherson Avenue Saint Louis, Missouri 63108 USA