Fabric Constructions: Art by Gonny Mackaay
Gonny Mackaay is an artist who works in textiles and fabrics, creating art in the form of clothing designs and fabric constructions. The artist’s works frequently edge into the territory of fashion, but tend to avoid strict categorization as such.
Gonny’s series The Unwearable Dresses showcases the artist’s appreciation for the more experimental aspects of fashion. These garments, seemingly made from collections of loose fibers draped and intertwined into chaotic assemblages, are draped over mannequins, inviting an instant comparison to dresses. I wonder how these garments might behave if they were removed from these supports -- would they hold their shape? Or would they fall in on themselves and become truly “unwearable?”
The front page of Gonny's textile art website
In other series, Gonny incorporates constructed forms to help lift and support the draped fabrics. In The Three Magicians, the structures take on the appearance of wild fabric masks, while in Muppets the artworks almost look like handmade dolls.
