METAMORPHOSIS

AUGUST 5, 2022 | first friday POP-UP

VERY is pleased to present Metamorphosis, a one-night event bringing together works by Christian Restrepo and Kaio Cesar through the coordination of our curatorial apprentice, Vini Costa. Featuring a collection of sculptural garments and digital portraiture, Metamorphosis reveals the shapeshifting medium of fashion as a gateway to self-discovery across geographies and cultural affiliations. Restrepo (Colombian-American) and Cesar (Brazilian) have immigrated from conservative roots to pursue new possibilities and the freedom of queer expression. Their continued journeys, evolving identities, and connections to home have led to striking works combining futuristic imagery with ancestral pasts.

An alchemist of textile and minimalist design, Restrepo ritualizes the repeated gesture of a simple metal staple in his constructions of wearable fabric. His pieces, at once austere and organic, allude to ancient tribal adornment and armor as facets of contemporary life. In his first ever gallery exhibition, Cesar pushes the art of fashion photography through surrealist explorations of color and distortion. Often collaborating with drag performers and referencing urban subcultures, his images immerse subjects in alternative realities, offering the viewer saturated dreamscapes untethered from societal bounds.