Martin Margiela: ‘The boundaries between art and fashion are becoming more permeable’

Belgian designer and artist Martin Margiela is no stranger to experimentation. His eponymous label, founded in 1988, which championed a deconstructed, upcycled aesthetic, introduced a new radical expression to the fashion landscape. Famous for keeping a low profile, he left the industry in 2009 at the height of success, citing the growing pressures of an ever-faster fashion system. (The label now operates without his involvement, under the creative direction of John Galliano.) Since then, Margiela has turned his hand to art, presenting his first exhibition at Lafayette Anticipations in Paris in 2021. His artworks explore themes of illusion and transformation, expanding on the ideas he expressed through his fashion collections. As he opens a twin show across galleries in Brussels and Athens, the elusive visionary shares a rare glimpse into his world.  

What are the new artworks about? I like to elaborate on existing objects to give them a new lease of life. In the Tops & Bottoms series of antique Greek-Roman plaster casts [based on the Venus and Faun sculpture from the RMN – Grand Palais] I cut out the shapes of stereotypical underwear to reverse their usual role of hiding intimate body parts. Shore Shoes is a series of invented shoe shapes created with washed-up flip-flops that I collected from tropical beaches over many years. And since their backs are as interesting as their fronts, I chose to frame them in reversible Plexiglas cases. Also, urban items have always attracted my attention: covering construction barriers with faux-fur fully changes their status, shifting them from banality to sensuality, as in the Barrier series.

What is it about the human body that continues to inspire you? Mystery, sensuality, desire.

Do you see your art as surreal, conceptual or deconstructionist? My work makes sense within all these definitions.

What are the central ideas that inform your work? Mostly the power of transformation and the effect of surprise.

Have you always set out to disrupt how people see things? I’ve been attracted to the behind-the-scenes aspects of life since forever. It’s second nature to me. Many situations deserve more time, more thought, more respect. Unfortunately today’s pace doesn’t allow for this enough. I try to fight against that.

Are there any periods of history or art history you return to? I can direct my attention to any period. Even the 19th century, which I haven’t been so interested in, recently offered me a surprise in the form of the lithophane porcelain technique. I discovered it in the archives of the Porzellan Manufaktur Nymphenburg in Germany, and used it to depict five male faces exhaling smoke. Each very thin unglazed porcelain plaque is shown over a light box, so one sees a bas-relief when unlit, and a striking photographic image when lit.

Does material experimentation come first for you or does technique follow ideas? Ideas always come first, then I search for the most appropriate technique. This process often leads to very challenging moments, although the experimentation sometimes enhances the original idea. The recent exception was my discovery of the lithophane technique, which resulted in Smoke, the porcelain portrait series.

What similarities do art and fashion share that you draw on?Enthusiasm, creativity, authenticity.

Do you think the art world has changed? Is it more linked to fashion now than previously? It has certainly changed very much. The boundaries between art and fashion are becoming more permeable, although the mediums remain very different.

Do you have any techniques or rituals that keep you inspired? My ritual, if anything, is just reflection and forging new ideas.

Are you a slow-and-steady worker or do you work in lulls and bursts? I mostly create in productive bursts. It depends on my mood – and whether a specific event is approaching, like a museum or gallery show. Recently, with the Athens exhibition opening followed by Brussels a week later, my pace has been hectic, but still under control.

What is the role of collaboration in your creative process? I work alone a lot; I don’t have an assistant. But for some specific pieces I look for craftspeople or artisans. I immensely enjoy those collaborative discussions, doing the tests, witnessing the process, and then waiting for the final result. Very exciting moments.

Your “Vanitas” exhibit features four heads with greying hair – how do you feel about getting older? One just needs more time to pay better attention to oneself than before.

Where do you spend most of your time and why? Paris, because it’s the city I like best, and Belgium, for country pleasures and work.

What is the most beautiful item of clothing you’ve ever owned? A pair of jeans.

Is there a cause that’s particularly close to your heart? AIDS-related issues, which I’ve supported for a long time, including at my fashion house with our T-shirt bearing the words: “There is more to be done to fight AIDS than to wear this T-shirt but it’s a good start.” Re-issued every season in different colours, it turned into a collector’s item. The memory of the ’80s and ’90s is so deeply connected to the devastating losses that occurred.

Where have you recently visited that lifted your spirits? Athens – specifically the view of the Acropolis at sunrise every morning.

Which young artists or designers do you admire? Too many to mention...

Martin Margiela is at Bernier Eliades Brussels until 11 May and Bernier Eliades Athens until 15 May; bernier-eliades.com