MOSAIK: The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk.

When I was six I remember seeing a taped video of Madonna performing Express Yourself in her infamous cone bra. I stared at the TV wide eyed and completely in awe because 1) it was Madonna and 2) she was wearing a CONE BRA... even at the age of six I knew the significance of that costume.

The cone bra is one of the many garments that is featured at the National Gallery of Victoria's exhibition The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk. An exhibition with over 140 of the worlds most influential haute couture garments displayed on talking mannequins.

I have been anticipating this exhibition since I first heard it would be arriving in Melbourne after its success in Montreal, Paris and New York. However, when I heard that Jean Paul Gaultier, himself, would be here for its opening I acted out erratically, entering numerous competitions, looking for one of the many sold out tickets and emailing anyone I knew that was remotely connected to the NGV, all without success.

So I gave up, and instead read Vogue Australia's exclusive interview with him titled "And God created Gaultier", and accepted, with a heavy heart, that I would not get to see Gaultier himself but I would eventually get to see the exhibition.

And then God sent Gaultier. In some twist of fate my university class was invited to the media launch and we were allowed a glimpse into the eclectic world of Jean Paul Gaultier.

The exhibition is ultimately a retrospective of Gaultier's life work, featuring the first dress he created in 1971 through to his most recent haute couture collection. It seemed as though an exhibition like this would have been reserved and curated upon the designer's death, as is the case with most artists. This was thankfully not the case and Gaultier's presence made the entire exhibition more exciting. It all felt extremely relevant, compulsively contemporary. It was not only an exhibition on the development of fashion and Gaultier's style, but it was also a reflection on the evolution of art, music, film, history and social equality.

The display made the inaccessible world of haute couture attainable, giving visitors the opportunity to sit front row at a Gaultier show. It was an absolute dream and quite possibly my favourite exhibition of all time. Jean Paul himself said it was the "best exhibition ever done," and perhaps it is. It is difficult to put into words how I felt entering each of the seven sections of the exhibition. I think it is something that each person must experience for themselves.

Later, I stood by as Gaultier was being interviewed, listening to his thoughtful answers, taking time to articulate himself. He never really allowed himself to be the topic of discussion, instead he talked about art and film and music and muses, he did not want to have the spotlight on him and then he said it very quietly, a mutter, almost inaudible among the clicking of the cameras, he said "I am a man of the shadows."

That was it, a man from the shadows, and his designs have come from there too, a darker and deeper place where life is observed and translated.

-A

The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk
17 October 2014 – 8 February 2015
NGV International
180 St Kilda Road Open daily, 10am – 5pm
Entry fees apply
Adult $22 | Child $10 | Concession $18 Family $60 | NGV Member Adult $17 NGV Member Family $48