Martin Margiela is now represented by Zeno X Gallery in Antwerp.
As you’ll recall, last year saw the announcement that the Belgian designer and artist (and Maison Margiela founder) would be staging his inaugural art exhibition this year. Initially set to open at Lafayette Anticipations in Paris in April, that date was moved back amid ongoing pandemic delays across all creative industries.
And now, with Margiela’s art world debut just days away, the team at Zeno X has praised the designer’s dedication to artistic pursuits while announcing the representation.
“Zeno X Gallery is very pleased to announce the representation of Belgian artist Martin Margiela,” the gallery said in a statement. “Ever since he left the fashion world in 2009, he has devoted himself exclusively to the visual arts.” Margiela’s work in this chapter of his career, the gallery added, is “dedicated to the unknown and the surprising.”
Adding further context to this development is a report from Artnet, who noted Thursday that this marks “exclusive, worldwide representation” and comes just ahead of the Oct. 20 show at Lafayette Anticipations. The typically reclusive Margiela also shared a statement with the site in which he briefly reflected on how the confines of the human body as an artistic medium eventually became “too narrow” for him to flourish.
“I needed a wider spectrum with total freedom in creative expression, and rediscovered my roots as a young boy in art school, enjoying pure creation without boundaries,” Margiela said. “Today I am proud to see my work recognized.”
While the October show at Lafayette will feature more than 40 previously unseen pieces, a solo exhibition in Belgium is also slated for next year.
