YOHJI YAMAMOTO | Exhibition Held at the Victoria and Albert Museum

Yohji Yamamoto

Exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum

From Saturday, March 12 to Sunday, July 10 next spring, London's Victoria and Albert Museum will host the first exhibition in the UK of Yohji Yamamoto, one of the world's most influential and avant-garde fashion designers.

By Dai Matsuo

30 Years of Challenging Taboos

This exhibition traces the journey of designer Yohji Yamamoto, who has consistently led the fashion industry with his pioneering designs for 30 years since his debut in Paris. Yamamoto's innovative designs are incorporated into the museum's precious collection, sometimes hidden away in corners, their silhouettes creating a dialogue with the space.

The exhibition will unfold throughout the museum, including the Leighton Corridor, the Norfolk House Music Room, and alcoves in the Hintze Sculpture Galleries overlooking the John Madejski Garden, as well as the marble staircase next to the Renaissance sculptures in the Renaissance City Galleries and the Tapestry Galleries. The spatial design is by Masao Nihei, a spatial and lighting designer who has collaborated with Yamamoto for many years.

The main exhibition space will feature over 60 womenswear and menswear pieces, as well as tracing his career through his fashion shows, film costumes, excerpts from interviews, catalogue works, and photographic materials to provide a comprehensive look at Yamamoto's work. This London exhibition, following previous shows in Florence – CORRESPONDENCES (2005), Paris – JUST DES VETEMENTS (2005), and Antwerp – DREAM SHOP (2006), will be the first to include menswear collections, offering a deeper exploration into the world of Maison Yohji Yamamoto.

Photograph by Koichi Inakoshi

"Dream Shop by Yohji Yamamoto" Photograph by Ronald Stoops

Yohji Yamamoto, who emerged in the fashion world during an era of body-consciousness, challenged the taboos of fashion at the time. His asymmetric cutting and silhouettes that seemed to hold air between the body and the garment provoked both praise and criticism. This creative stance, challenging the established notions of fashion, remains unchanged. His unique style, expressed through layered textures and draping, has rewritten the aesthetics of fashion, and his playful, androgynous expressions have brought new dimensions to gender identity.

Furthermore, for Yamamoto's creations, material is central to the design, and the way fabric drapes and moves is also his signature. He has also presented works incorporating traditional Japanese techniques such as shibori (tie-dyeing) and yuzen dyeing, and this exhibition provides an opportunity to showcase a glimpse of the rare techniques inherited by Japan.

In addition, the main exhibition space will showcase Yamamoto's creative activities across a wide range of fields. Through collaborative works with Nick Knight (fashion photographer), Peter Saville (graphic designer), Marco Ascoli and M/M (Paris) (art directors), Pina Bausch (choreographer), and Takeshi Kitano and Wim Wenders (film directors), the exhibition explores how the creative dialogue that permeates his work has become a significant current in Yamamoto's career.

This exhibition will not only be held at the V&A but will also feature related displays at both The Wapping Project and The Wapping Project / Bankside galleries as part of a "Wapping Project" initiative.

Venue | Main exhibition spaces at the V&A Museum
(Dorothy & Michael Hintze Sculpture Galleries, Architecture Staircase, Leighton Corridor, Tapestry Gallery, Norfolk House Music Room, Medieval & Renaissance Galleries, etc.)

Dates | Saturday, March 12, 2011 – Sunday, July 10, 2011

Admission | £7 (concessions may apply) *Free for V&A members
Advance booking | Tel. 0844 209 1770, or visit www.vam.ac.uk (booking fee applies)

Exhibition Curators and Designers
Exhibition Curator | Ligaya Salazar, V&A Contemporary Curator
Exhibition Designer | Masao Nihei
Graphic Art Director | Peter Saville
Graphic Design | Yes Studio
Poster Image | Nick Knight

< Other Exhibition Venues >
Venue | The Wapping Project
Dates | Friday, March 11, 2011 – Sunday, July 10, 2011
The Wapping Hydraulic Power Station, Wapping Wall, London E1W 3SG
http://www.thewappingproject.com

Venue | The Wapping Project / Bankside
Dates | Friday, March 11, 2011 – Saturday, May 7, 2011
65a Hopton Street, London SE1 9LA
http://www.thewappingprojectbankside.com

Victoria and Albert Museum
www.vam.ac.uk