Catálogo de la muestra
Nicola Costantino. Human Furrier, galería Deitch Projects, 7/9 al 7/10/2000

SoHo denizens can be forgiven for thinking the shoes they’ve seen in Lord & Taylor or other mainstream, uptown department stores are daring knockoffs of Argentinean artist Nicola Costantino’s synthetic human‑skin creations on view at Deitch Projects this fall. The artist’s “Human Furrier” exhibition featured a mock boutique with dresses, bustiers, handbags and heels, all made of a fine silicone‑and‑leather blend. Designed to imitate the appearance of human skin, the items were dotted with nipples. (The curtains for the changing room varied the motif a bit, with puckered anuses and belly buttons.) Costantino’s “skins” bear a striking resemblance to once‑again‑popular ostrich. In fact, Costantino’s pieces, which are priced between $2,500 for shoes and $6,500 for a dress, are not completely out of range for many well‑clad New Yorkers. According to the artist, people who bought works intend to wear them. She herself has worn the dresses to openings and parties. “It’s disturbing to desire something so cruel”, says Costantino. “Sophistication and brutality are in the same object”.