CREATURE BY BRIAN ZIFF FEATURING SEDONA LEGGE
Photography by Brian Ziff
IN CONVERSATION WITH K8 HARDY
K8 Hardy is a Brooklyn-based artist whose work cuts across video, performance, photography, and sculpture – all laced with a fierce punk sensibility. For years, she has been reshaping the language of identity, visibility, and style. Deeply influenced by second-wave feminist artists, Hardy channels that legacy into a deliberately unruly, genre-defying practice. Her work plays both within and against codes of pop culture, often veering into the territory of “bad taste” to interrogate systems of consumption.
With “Trade”, K8 Hardy brought a performance to the streets of Berlin’s Checkpoint Charlie, presenting her studio dress project – a punk explosion of dance and noise.
Numéro Berlin: How would you describe your work in a few words?
K8 Hardy: I would say it’s dissonant and irreverent, placing fashion within a broader political and economic context.
What was the initial concept behind this performance?
Well, the concept started with the dress, which was inspired by the house dress. I was thinking about a vehicle for making art – and I wanted to bring the dress to Berlin. People often do that through a runway show or a presentation.
Why did you choose Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin for this performance?
Because it involves a car, and there’s so much American context tied to that space. There are so many crazy things happening right now that I felt, if we bring all these elements together, it might reframe them – or at least get us to think differently. I liked the centrality of the location, but also the idea of owning the Americanness of this project.
What’s the idea behind the studio dress?
The idea is to create my own house dress and to examine women’s workwear. Men’s workwear has been analyzed to death, but women’s hasn’t – and I think it’s such an interesting area of clothing. Grandmothers all over the world wear it, but it’s usually made at home, so there’s no industrial production history to refer to. Still, the form remains surprisingly consistent, and that’s what fascinates me.
And finally – what does fashion mean to you?
It means style, and it means having a conversation with the public.
The Freedom to Dream: La Verrière at Fondation d’entreprise Hermès
La Verrière, the exhibition space of the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès in Brussels,…
Words by Sina Braetz
IN CONVERSATION WITH DAVID KOMA
Blumarine, long synonymous with butterflies, chiffon and a distinctly Y2K aesthetic, has…
Interview by Chiara Anzivino