Maripol

Little Red Riding Hood

August 19, 2009 through September 12, 2009

Public Opening Reception: Saturday, August 22, from 6:00 to 9:00 pm

Deborah Colton Gallery is pleased to announce debut of Little Red Riding Hood an exhibition of works by Maripol. The public opening reception will be Saturday, August 22, 2009 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm.

For the first time, Maripol will be using diverse media such as canvas, clothing, photography, and paint. This most recent body of work draws influence from her past and her varied career as both an artist and as a fashionista, a role she developed ever since her childhood. After rummaging through her family albums, Maripol discovered hidden photographs of her grandmother, whose own style introduced her to the world of fashion and continues to influence her today. Maripol even shares her middle name with her grandmother’s name, Mathilde. Maripol has always felt her grandmother’s presence since she passed away and is proud of the similarities found between them. Maripol’s attraction to fashion and jewelry, which began when stealing her mother’s dresses and high heels, made her a natural model. Yet, the myths and legends that she treasured during her childhood in combination with her love of fashion culminated in her success as the winner of a costume contest when she modeled an outfit inspired by Little Red Riding Hood, the protagonist of the famous children’s folktale.

When she landed in New York, she was fresh out of art school and unsure of being just an artist. Serendipitously, she was discovered by a talent scout from the famous Fiorucci house for her skill at transforming industrial objects into wearable sculpture and jewelry. Textures, fabrics, and scents were not unfamiliar to the little girl who grew up in Africa, eager to go to the market and admire the craftsmanship of the locals’ beading, tapestry, or goldsmithing. Once in New York, the city became her new playground and the blueprint of her unconscious exploded. Her designs have permeated the art, music and fashion of these past three decades. The art pieces presented here represent the tenacity of the innocent little red riding hood thrown into the fast world of the big bad wolves….

Maripol’s work as an art director, designer, and film producer has influenced popular movements in music, fashion and art since the early 1980s. She was the founder of Maripolitan Popular Objects Ltd., a fashion accessories company which also designed merchandising for Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” tour. She directed the documentary “Crack is Wack” on Keith Haring for French television, as well as other shorts, and has directed films by Marcus Nispel, and Abel Ferrara, and music videos for Cher, D’Angelo, Elton John, Luther Vandross, and others. She has produced films including “Downtown 81”, directed by Edo Bertoglio and written by Glenn O’Brien. Maripol has been exhibited at P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, Deitch Projects, Musee Maillol, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. She has been published in The New York Times Magazine, WWD, Time Out New York, ELLE, i-D, Numero Japan, and Rolling Stone Italy. Maripol’s books include Maripolarama (powerHouse Books, 2005), New York Beat: The Making of Downtown 81 (Petit Grand, 2001) and Mes Polas: 1977-90s (Art Random, 1990). Maripol’s work is currently in traveling exhibitions around the world in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Milan, Berlin, Paris, and London.

Deborah Colton Gallery is founded on being an innovative showcase for ongoing presentation and promotion of strong historical and visionary contemporary artists world-wide, whose diverse practices include painting, works on paper, sculpture, video, photography, performance and conceptual, future media installations. The gallery aspires to provide a forum through connecting Texas, national and international artists to make positive change.