Dr Gene Sherman by James Mills. Commissioned by Harper’s Bazaar Australia
28 February - November 30 2009
‘Colour has never been my thing...What captures my attention is content, form and structure...I'm interested in visual things with a strong conceptual underpinning’ – Gene Sherman, 2009
In the early 1980s Japanese designers Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo (Comme des Garçons) stunned the fashion world with innovative collections. Unlike much Western fashion, tailored to fit body contours, their garments were largely asymmetrical, unstructured, and monochrome, drawing on traditional Japanese aesthetics and dress.
Gene Sherman, director of the Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation and former Museum trustee, made her first trip to Japan in 1987. She felt ‘instantly at home’. Since then she has returned frequently and assembled a large wardrobe of contemporary Japanese fashion that has become integral to her public persona and an expression of her identity.
Dr Gene Sherman donated a large group of garments to the Powerhouse Museum that she has 'retired' from her wearing wardrobe. Contemporary Japanese fashion features a small selection of 13 garments and accessories from this collection.
A selection of Japanese fashion on display
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Gene Sherman on Japanese fashion
Gene Sherman discusses her love of Japanese fashion, why it appeals to her, and the formation of her collection. At the time of the interview Dr Gene Sherman was director of Sherman Galleries. Photographs courtesy James Mills, Paul Green and Gene Sherman. Running time: 11 minutes
Filmed at Sherman Galleries, Goodhope Street, Paddington on 30 August 2005, showing artworks by Hilarie Mais and Imants Tillers.
Gift of the garb: Japanese fashion, 6 May 2009
Dr Sherman in conversation with Powerhouse Museum Senior Curator Claire Roberts as they discuss her philosophy of acquiring and retiring garments and her longstanding appreciation of Japanese fashion.