Artist statement

My work explores identity, memory, gender and the relationship between clothing and the human experience.

Working at the intersection of art, fashion and design, I am particularly interested in the codes and conventions of dress. Clothing communicates who we are, how we wish to be perceived and where we belong. It can express individuality, but also impose expectations. I am fascinated by this tension between conformity and freedom and by the possibilities of challenging established ideas of masculinity, femininity and identity.

Through minimal interventions, deconstruction and transformation, familiar objects lose their original function and take on new meanings. A shirt becomes a portrait, a discarded garment becomes an abstract composition and a traditional bow tie is reimagined as an expression of individuality rather than conformity.

My practice moves between the personal and the universal, the conceptual and the intuitive. Themes of presence and absence, memory, grief and vulnerability run through my work, often accompanied by poetry, playfulness and subtle humour.

Alongside autobiographical works, I create intuitive and abstract compositions, allowing materials, colours and textures to suggest new directions. Found fabrics, leftover materials and discarded garments are given a second life, connecting the different aspects of my practice.

I see no strict boundaries between art and design, between what we wear and what we display, or between the decorative and the conceptual. By questioning familiar forms and conventions, I aim to create space for alternative interpretations and new perspectives.

Ultimately, my work is about transformation of materials, meanings and identities and the freedom to redefine what already exists. 

Corné Gabriëls