Virgil Abloh: “Figures of Speech”

Virgil Abloh
American, born 1980
“A TEAM WITH NO SPORT”, 2012
Video (color, sound)
5 minutes, 55 seconds
Private collectionAbloh established Pyrex Vision, his first fashion brand, in 2012. He screenprinted “Pyrex,” “23,” and images of a painting by sixteenth-century Italian artist Caravaggio onto store-bought sweatshirts, shorts, socks, and plaid shirts. “Pyrex” nods to the glassware used in home drug labs and “23” to the jersey number worn by basketball star Michael Jordan. These references allude to two stereotypical ways disadvantaged youth can overcome their hardships: by selling drugs or becoming famous athletes. Caravaggio’s story, which Abloh learned about in college, convinced him that one artist’s innovations can alter the course of history, so he included the painter’s work in his clothing line to inspire others. This video to promote the launch of Pyrex Vision features members of then-emerging rap group A$AP Mob.

Virgil Abloh
American, born 1980Arthur Jafa
American, born 1960Wakanda Never, 2018
Windbreaker jacket with quilted lining
Private collectionAbloh’s collaboration with Arthur Jafa extends both artists’ inquiry into representations of blackness in contemporary media. The text on the jacket’s back is a play on the black nationalist rallying cry “Wakanda forever” from the 2018 film Black Panther– with a twist that implies the impossibility of a black utopia. Inside, the quilted lining in the pattern of the Confederate flag attests to Jafa’s long-term effort to visually represent histories and experiences of black Americans. The artists bonded over their mutual disappointment in the film and created this jacket in playful protest.

Virgil Abloh
American, born 1980
“Individual Pyrex Screen”, 2013/19
Screen print frames
Private collectionThese screens are remakes of the originals Abloh used to print reproductions of a Caravaggio painting on t-shirts and hooded sweatshirts for his first fashion brand, Pyrex Vision. While attending college he learned of the sixteenth-century Italian painter, whose unique use of contrasting light and shadow convinced Abloh that a single person can change the course of art through innovation. Abloh continues to use images of Caravaggio’s paintings in his brand Off-White.

Kanye West
American, born 1977Virgil Abloh
American, born 1980“IN HIS IMAGE” (A TRIBUTE TO YEEZUS), 2019
Acrylic, tinted film, and mirror
Courtesy of the Virgil Abloh ArchiveAbloh designed the album art for Kanye West’s sixth album, Yeezus (2013), while working for the musician. The packaging reveals Abloh’s modernist architectural sensibility: only the necessary elements are retained, reducing the packaging to a single red sticker that keeps the CD’s jewel box closed and displays the album’s name. Here, he has made a new large-scale version to pay homage to the Grammy-nominated album and the graphic clarity of its design.

Virgil Abloh, designer
American, born 1980IKEA, manufacturer
Swedish, established 1943Dorm Room, 2019
Furniture, rugs, table, and chair
Private collectionDorm Room combines prototype furniture with rugs Abloh created in a 2018-2019 collaboration with global housewares retailer IKEA. Displaying Abloh’s experiments in subtly modifying existing designs to give them new life, the installation poses a question that is fundamental to his practice: Does an object need to be entirely new in order to be “original”? The rugs also demonstrate Abloh’s interest in wordplay. In this case, the disjunction between the texts and the rugs’ appearance provokes viewers to question what they are seeing—and what it communicates.

Virgil Abloh
American, born 1980
A Series of Events, 2019
Ceramics
Private collectionAbloh explored multiple techniques in this series of ceramic works. The vessels are heavily textured, revealing a delicate handmade quality, while the ceramic chains appear clean, industrial, and strong. This eclectic recombination of styles can be seen across Abloh’s recent designs for Off-White and bags for Louis Vuitton.