Clothes, but No Bodies, On View at Hudson River Museum
On entering the light-filled west wing of the Hudson River Museum (HRM), visitors will find dozens of white shirts hanging upside-down from the ceiling, their arms pointing at the floor. Shroud, an installation by artist Rachel Breen, is a memorial to the garment workers who died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911 and the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2013. Breen purchased the shirts by the pound from Goodwill, a poignant reminder of our disposable culture.
Shroud is one of 31 artworks that make up the museum’s No Bodies: Clothing as Disruptor exhibition, on view through January 26, 2025. The show considers the many meanings of clothing: as costume, as political signifier, as fetish object, as cultural identifier. A previous iteration was shown this past winter at Real Art Ways, a nonprofit art space in Hartford, Connecticut.
“There’s something about clothing and clothing-related themes that are so compelling to people,” says Laura Vookles, chair of the Curatorial Department at the HRM. “Not everybody makes paintings and sculptures, but everybody is an artist of their own appearance. Textiles are an integral part of our lives.”
Some of the pieces in the exhibit are not what they appear to be at first glance. Giannina Dwin’s “white lace” dress lying on a black slab by is actually made from salt, as easily blown away as a Tibetan monk’s sand mandala. Children’s clothes by Rose Deler, sewn from the silver mylar blankets given to migrants at the southern border, would provide limited warmth to children who have been separated from their families. Written on their labels are the words “Detained in the USA,” “compassionproof” and “parentproof.” A short-sleeved cotton sweater by Patrick Carroll has the names of plants like “silphium” and “peacock flower” knitted across the chest. These botanicals were historically used as abortifacients, and the sweater was made in reaction to the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
No Bodies is the handiwork of Alva Greenberg, an independent curator who, after seeing oversized outfits representing various historic figures by artist Lesley Dill – who also has a piece in the show – was sparked to consider the multiple meanings of what we wear Over several years, Greenberg, a former art gallery owner, took note of other artists who used or addressed the meaning of clothing in their works. “There’s a strong element about the environment, who makes our clothes and what we do with our clothes,” she notes. “We live in a time of disposability of so many things. Where do these plastic clothes go? You can be more thoughtful about what you buy and what you wear.”
Memory has also inspired several of the works. A giant pale-blue lace bustier by Sidney Russell, one in a series of oversized apparel, is based on a human-sized version Russell wore to her high school prom. A girl’s dress in pastel shades is found on closer inspection to be made of onyx, representing a frozen moment in artist Barbara Ségal’s young life before her father died and the family lost its social status. Wedding dresses make several appearances, including in a series of photos of a dress engulfed in flames by Adriana Marmorek. References to the experiences of the incarcerated are another thread.
Vookles says that during installation, staff from different departments kept peeking in to see the work. She reflects: “I’m happy to be presenting an exhibit that’s so thought-provoking and accessible to so many people.”
Photos: No Bodies; Clothing as Disruptor installation (photo credit: Steven Paneccasio); E. V. Day. Carmen, 2010. Dress and monofilament (photo courtesy of the artist)
About Michelle Falkenstein
Michelle Falkenstein writes about culture, food and travel. Publications include The New York Times, Journal News, Albany Times Union, ARTnews Magazine and (201) Magazine