American artist, fashion designer and author Rebecca Moses begins her week-long residency at Southampton Arts Center today. And it’s going to be anything but boring.
Slated to transform the Jobs Lane locale into “The Art of Observation,” part working studio, part exhibition, part performance, part conversation, the debut of Moses’s “I Think You Are Beautiful When You Are Bored,” rests at the center. Comprised of 11 portraits of women chicly dressed in black, themes of elegance, power, detachment, mystery, amusement, defiance, and boredom are evoked through accessories the subjects are wearing, gestures they’re making, or glances they’re giving.
“I think it’s part of the culture of my journey,” Moses says. “I lived in Italy for over 20 years, and we have an expression called dolce far niente, the beauty of doing absolutely nothing. I think that we’re too self conscious in our society, and I think that’s how, maybe, the Kardashian factor has permeated, or the selfie, or the idea of beauty from generation to generation,” Moses says. “I think that people need to be true to who they are and not perform every second in life. If you choose to be, if you choose to dress and wear outrageous things, it’s because you have a desire to do it for yourself, not for anybody else. I always say you have to own your world, own who you are, own your voice, and that’s what I try to convey in the women that I paint.”
“I Think You Are Beautiful When You Are Bored” by Rebecca Moses starts today at Southampton Arts Center. (Photos courtesy of Southampton Arts Center)
The exhibition explores the idea of being compelling when one stops trying to be seen, while also showing the power that lies in being (or at least appearing to be) bored. The portraits represent of the women that are creative expressions of what Moses calls her “cluttered brain,” as well as people she’s observed through her life that now live in her subconscious, as well as real people that she sees in real life.
“For me, dressing and creating a stylish world is really about projecting your voice,” Moses says. “Everyone does it in different ways. I always think it’s better when you don’t do it for reaction, but you do it for yourself.”
Additionally, throughout the week, Moses will paint in public, working on a collection of works on paper she’s dubbed “Moments.” Working with acrylic, since it dries faster, “Moments” will entail Moses painting giant-sized still life pieces measuring six feet tall by five feet wide.
A royal portrait artist, her celebrated fashion illustrations have been commissioned by Italian Vogue, Vogue Japan, Marie Claire Italia, MAC Cosmetics, Fratelli Rossetti, Panerai, Kartell, Alcantara, Vera Wang, and more, according to a press release from SAC. Her first book, A Life of Style, published by Monacelli Press, showcases her distinctive creative vision and inspired Ralph Pucci to commission a collection of mannequins based on her signature illustrated women. Moses has exhibited in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Milan, and Tokyo and is represented by Ralph Pucci International in New York and Nilufar in Milan.
On Friday, Aug. 28 at 5 p.m., Moses will be joined by longtime gallerist Pucci and Palmer Magazine founder Stefano Tonchi for a conversation exploring the intersection of art, fashion, design, storytelling and a creative life continually moving forward, the press release says.
Moses’s physical surroundings will also play into her experience during her time at SAC.
“I have a very deep love for the East End,” she says. First of all, my maternal family is from the East End. My grandmother was born in East Quogue in 1900,” she says. “My mother was born in Riverhead. And to further the love story, my mother met my father because he was stationed in Westhampton, at the military base. So, the East End has a very deep connection in my life, and because of that, I’m very happy and very honored to be able to go to SAC to do this. It’s like kind of like full circle.
“The Art of Observation” will be on through Aug. 31. Southampton Arts Center is located at 25 Jobs Lane in Southampton. Gallery hours are from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday through Monday. Call 631-283-0967 or click here for more information.
