Image via Complex Original
Canadian, New York-based artist Chloe Wise knows how to have fun and get people's attention. Last October, a friend wore Wise's fake Chanel bag (that looked like a bagel) to a Chanel event, fooling everyone into thinking that the "bagel purse" was a real Chanel product. It was actually a sculpture, titled Bagel No. 5. We imagine she may have intentionally connected the title to the art piece's debut at the Chanel No. 5 The Film premiere by Baz Luhrmann.
When she's not making humorous works using bread (yes, she does this frequently), she's having other kinds of fun, like making digital art about advertising, painting herself, and directing videos shown at Telfar fashion shows. She's also making sculptures of bacon, pizza, wet T-shirts, and tampons, to name a few items.
We asked Chloe to explain her work in her own words, and here's what she had to say.
“Girls Gone Smiled is a permanent wet T-shirt sculpture that I exhibited with Salon 94 at Frieze London this past October. The T-shirt is coated in a silicone that mimics the texture of skin, and it feels super weird to the touch, which I love.”
“This is an image from my series of 'Sometimes Irregular Tampons,' which were shown across Sweden in a group show curated by Arvida Bystrom. This series was a really enjoyable way of critiquing marketing attempts aimed at women, all the while appreciating the visual language of advertising, and like, As Seen on TV. The tampons are sculptures made of urethane plastic. The marble effect was a lot of fun to do. Mature, elegant, Italian.”
“This image is the culminating painting from my series 'Literally Me,' in which I painted one self portrait per day of myself in a weird ass outfit, and then I was photographed at the end of the day, wearing the same outfit in the painting. This final image is of all the paintings I painted complimented by a very elaborate kimono and nudity look. This series was intended to satirize the way people, primarily females, are perceived if they partake in self-documenting and self-representation online. I had a really, really fun time making this series, which can be seen in the form of a zine by the same name.”
“This piece, Louis Vuitton Baguette, was the first sculpture I created in my series of bread bags. A play off the title of those little LV bags from the early 2000s, the baguette is oil painted urethane paired with found vintage hardware.”
“I love making these bacon Jewish stars. This one is titled Star of Larry David: Very Badly Burnt. Sometimes it's hard to say bye to sculptures when they go to their new home. Sucks, I miss this one.”
“Aint No Challah Back(pack) Girl is another sculpture from the bread bag series. This image is responsible for, like, every challah-themed Instagram account reblogging me incessantly. I love it. Lol.”
“Here's a painting called Apres Midi Avec La Grande Jap, a play on the always beautiful Seurat painting Un dimanche après-midi à l'Ile de la Grande Jatte. It's just a picnic painting among picnic paintings. This one features must-haves for a Jappy picnic.”
“Here's a photo from inside my studio. I'm working on my upcoming solo show at Division Gallery in Montreal. Breakfast is served.”
