–by Katya Moorman
Tara Subkoff isn’t a fashion designer and Imitation of Christ is not a traditional brand. What she excels at is creating community through performance –that just happens to feature clothing you can buy. And upcycled garments, to be more specific. Or in Tara’s own words, Imitation of Christ…in actuality is environmental activism, and an art work packaged to be able to be in pop culture as a “fashion brand“.
So it’s in that spirit that she showed her Spring/Summer ’24 collection at the Hole Gallery in LA recently. Each season she collaborates with young designers. This spring they were Nolan Gross, Izzy Huynh, Ellen Jong, Tiffany Nguyen, Rose Ponizil, Hudson Schaetzke, Nik Van Dalen, and Galen Womack.
The models/performers danced throughout the gallery while prayers were delivered by a Rabbi, a Christian Minister, a Tibetan Buddhist monk, a Hindu Swami, and a Sufi poet and practitioner from the Muslim religion. There was also a flute player from the Native American/indigenous faith and a Shaman.
“These prayers and puja’s will be a peaceful celebration of all religions practicing alongside one another with respect and tolerance, inclusivity and to raise our consciousness and create less waste/better habits and consume less to help save our shared planet earth.” Tara explained.
Tara began working on this project before the Middle East erupted, but the current climate created both an additional urgency and poignancy to the work.
In the end IOC invited guest to take a piece of discarded clothing that had been strewn on the gallery floor and “to please “imitate” this and make something yourself from something someone else has discarded
that you love and turn it into art with your own hands. Join us in our attempt to stop consuming and to start creating instead!”
Related Articles
