Museum Rijswijk Reopens

Splendid Isolation

5 June - 15 August 2021

Museum Rijswijk, Rijswijk, the Netherlands

After a long period behind closed doors the 5th June see’s Ian Berry ‘Splendid Isolation’ Exhibition at Museum Rijswijk in Holland reopen. It will be then be prolonged until 15 August 2021. To mark the opening Mixed Grill put it in its Top 11 Shows to see in Holland and FD marked it as a ‘Must See’ as galleries now reopen across the Netherlands.

It was also on TV West Nieuws in the Zuid-Holland Noord region, where curator Diana Wind guides around the show and talks about Ian' Berry’s work with only denim jeans. (all in Dutch)

As well as other platforms on the Omroep West platform.

Ian Berry Splendid Isolation at Museum Rijswijk by Omroep West

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Get your tickets now to see Ian Berry’s art in denim at Museum Rijswijk until 15 August.

Ian Berry in the Rivet 50

Ian Berry joins Hailey Bieber and Bella & Gigi Hadid being named as a Top 50 influential figures in denim for 2019. 

The Rivet 50 was announced by a leading denim industry magazine, Rivet, and named the London based British artist on its list alongside fellow Brits of the calibre of Stella McCartney representing the movers and shakers of the denim industry. 

RIVET 50 serves as an index of the most creative and forward-thinking leaders driving change in the global denim marketplace. And this year, those individuals were nominated and chosen by the denim industry. Thousands of online votes determined who made the list. From mill to runway, designers to celebrities and of course, the artist that made his name using denim, Ian Berry.

Of course it is not the first accolade for Ian Berry, in 2013 he was named in the Top 30 Artist under 30 in the World by art Business Magazine and his success just grows. This summer he had another sell out show in London and has shown all across the USA, Brazil, as well as many European galleries. 2020 will see the start of a museum tour across Europe.  

Ian said ‘It was a total surprise to be nominated to start with as I don’t see myself ‘in’ denim and really I keep a distance from the industry. Denim, It’s just my medium. It was great thought getting many messages from people in the denim industry offering their support and saying they are voting for me - reminding me of how many amazing people I have met over the years I have been working with jeans.’

Extract of the Rivet 50 article.

The shortlist of 100 was announced earlier in the year and split into sections. Executives, with the winners including Levi’s CEO and President Chip Bergh, Designerslike Brit Martine Rose and Mary Pierson of Madewell, Retailerswhich included iconic London store Son of a Stag owner Rudy Budhdeo and Rivet and Hide’s Danny Hodgson (6 of the 50 were British) Supply Chainwhere Alice Tonello of Tonello which is at the forefront of pushing sustainability in the industry and has worked with Ian to help make some of his famous installations, notably the Secret Garden. Ian’s group was the influencersection that included Justin Bieber’s new wife Hailey who is the face of the Levi 501 and the supermodels the Hadid sisters.

‘The flip side of knowing many in the industry meant I was up against many of my friends. All who merited their place on the list. More so than me. Some got in, some didn’t. But I’m happy to see my friend Mohsin Sajid on the list as he puts so much effort in to educating the next generation and his knowledge in denim is amazing.’

Ian has done projects with schools and many schools and colleges do projects on him around the world and believes in giving back and education. In December the former Greenhead College student with return to the college and give the awards and the annual awards evening at the Johns Smiths Stadium. 

Ian concluded.

‘I’m happy to be alongside many on the list who I consider friends in addition to those mentioned like Tricia Carey, Alberto Candiani, Fox and Jeff Garza of Foxhole, Maurizio Donali, Panos Sofianos, Henry Wong and Andrea Venier amongst others.’

 What is Rivet 50?

Rivet’s Influential 50 is an index of the most creative and forward-thinking leaders driving the global Jeanswear industry. The Influential 50 represent the upward direction the denim community strives for with each new collection, innovation and technology.

Ian Berry in New York Museum show

Ian Berry at the Children's Museum of Arts in New York

We have just returned to London after a busy December in the States. Ian had shows at Miami Basel and then he was in New York to open his Secret Garden Installation at the Children's Museum of the Arts in Manhattan.

Over many days Ian and a team of helpers installed this incredible Secret Garden installation at the Chelsea based Museum. The museum that has served hundreds of thousands of Children and has the mission 'to introduce children and their families to the transformative power of the arts by providing opportunities to make art side-by-side with working artists.'

And over the years, Ian has had a similar mission. He has worked with schools to do projects, and teachers write to him when they do lessons on him. He enjoys getting mails from kids who have made work inspired by him.

'I remember growing up in the north of England, I don't really remember getting much inspiration of artists working. Yes, they are there, but I didnt see it. It was more the 'local artist' normally retired amatuer you'd come across. But one day my dad took me to David Hockney's Saltaire at about 12 or 13 and it was so inspiring seeing someone from the same area I was from doing so well.' 

Ian says he wishes he could be young again to go to somewhere like the CMA. It is a truly amazing place for young minds, and their parents. There are teaching artists there with many different work rooms, for all ages up to 16. They can learn to work in many different ways, often inspired by the artwork on display - Ellan Harvey also shows alongside Ians work. We think it is important for children to interact with Arts, especially with school budgets tightening and the arts being one of the biggest to suffer.

'crazy when you think both our countries excel in creative fields and really lead the world. Yet, we are constantly told at school that arts are a hobby with visions of the starving artist.' Ian Says.

The installation that you can walk through, on top of a denim path is filled with various flowers and plants, from roses to cacti, wisteria to chrysanthemum all made out of jeans. You'll find denim tools and also a hare, peering through, unafraid of the children about to run through.

But the most impressive part is the trellis coming down from the ceiling. Hundreds of vines and leaves dangling, as if taking over the museum. Part looking like a magical urban secret garden, part looking like the place has been abandoned and left for the nature to take over.  The flowers hanging and the butterflies lead to an almost Alice in Wonderland fantasy world that the kids and parents alike have been amazed by. 

The installation for the Bridge Project was inspired by thinking of childhood. Immediately Ian thought of playing outside at his Yorkshire hometown. He feels now children play less outside and interact and look less at the nature around. Kids are obsessed with tech with ipads and instant gratification and the games played are not with balls and dirty knees but with thumbs the only strength needed with video consoles.

'Sadly too I also feel that with the stresses of life parents even spend less time with their kids, even if they are with them, they may be distracted by their phones and the constant fear of missing something.'

'I only wonder what this may do to tiny minds seeing people always glued to their phones and screens'

He had noticed in the past that when recreating familiar scenes people took for granted, out of a material so common, people saw it differently and revalued it. He would love for the parent and child to walk through together so that when they do go through parks and gardens they will look at them more closely.

'I also thought that while in many other way New York would be one of the most inspiring cities for a child to live in, many kids wouldn't have gardens. Yes, there are places to go and famous parks with amazing open space and the High Line too, but perhaps it may inspire parents to find a little secret garden near to them'

In a interesting opening to the garden, Ian shows a cotton plant and explains that this is where the jeans we wear first comes from. Not bad going from plants to pants, to plants again.

Ian will return in April 2018 to help to take some classes based on his work.

We'd also like to place on record the thanks to the museum, Tonello, Cone denim, NYC factory and Christine Rucci for all the help in the making of the Secret Garden along with dozens of other assistants.

The installation is up until April.

Children's Museum of the Arts

103 Charlton St. NYC 212.274.0986

Get directions

Ian Berry | NYC Museum Show | Childrens Museum of the Arts

VIP Opening Wednesday 13th December 2017

6 - 8pm

Ian Berry will unveil his Secret Garden at the CMA on Wednesday night, all made out of denim.

Fresh from showing at Miami Basel Ian has made this site specific installation that will debut in this special museum dedicating to inspiring children to be creative and have interaction with the arts, something that Ian firmly believes in.

You will be able to walk through this magical garden with a trellis overhead, a pathway to walk through and many denim made plants.

There are many people to thank, too many for here, but special thanks go to Tonello in Italy for their expertise and technology for making all this possible and to Cone Denim for supplying White Oak Denim, NYC Factory and Christine Rucci aka Godmother NYC.

The installation goes alongside celebrated artist Ellen Harvey's Ornaments and Other Refrigerator Magnets. Ellen has previously showed at the Whitney, Turner Contemporary and the Bass in Miami.

The install will be up through to April 2018.

For the opening Kindly RSVP to mail@ianberry.art

Address

Children's Museum of the Arts 103 Charlton St. NYC 212.274.0986

Ian Berry in France

Ian was interviewed for French channel TLVA by Amandine the morning of the show. This was no set up, the scenes you see all happened, and continued throughout the show. Thanks you to all that came and brought so much warmth and excitement toward Ian's work.

These are some of the translations.

This man isn't a rock star but you could believe it seeing all those women asking for an autograph or taking a selfie with him. This Englishman with a lively and intelligent look is an artist from London, young and handsome which adds to his so British charm. He got invited to this 23rd edition… to show his art.

At the first look these monochrome pictures make you think of oil painting but you realize quickly that the depth of these compositions and the variations of blue remind us that his
painting is just denim; a story that started when he found an old pair of trousers.

Ian talks

Before becoming this artist much on fashion, Ian was a graphic designer. Nowadays he is not making quilts but real pictures with glue and of course denim. He belongs to these modern street art artists and so contemporary. He likes taking pictures to draw them afterwards. What inspires him are advertising posters, architecture of some places or streets of London.

Ian speaks

His work is a real allegory of our contemporary life. Denim being whats most worn on earth and
most popular in each socio-cultural class, its normal that Ian's artworks echo that.

Ian Interview on Carved in Blue

Ian had an interview with one of the leading Denim industry websites.

Run by the Lenzing Group who have a long history rooted in sustainability. They manufacture plant producing wood pulp and viscose fibers, down a path of eco-conscious innovation to become the world’s largest producer of TENCEL®   

With environmental responsibility at the forefront of consumer consciousness and denim’s popularity back in full force, they launched Carved in Blue, a blog that delves into the inner workings and innovations of the denim industry.

Lenzing is the world market leader in high-quality wood-based cellulose fibers. All their fibers are branded, TENCEL®, Lenzing Modal®, and Lenzing Viscose®, and each have their place in denim, upgrading its comfort, performance or sustainability.

They say:
"The meaning of Carved in Blue is whatever you want it to be, whatever you visualize about the denim business and is personal to you. Our inspiration originated from the phrase ‘carved in stone’—it represents our permanent and absolute position as a fixture in the past, the present and future of denim. Our fibers are woven into the denim tales that Carved in Blue will tell."

Find out what Ian answered 'What does Carved in Blue mean to you?'

You can read the interview here

I-Skool awards at BASE Milan

Ian Berry attended the award ceremony for the 2017 I-Skool awards in Milan this week. As someone interested in education and inspiring younger generations it is a perfect event where Isko and leading brands in the denim industry support an educational program - one that encourages over 60,000 entrants to enter the award where the winners will present their creativity at a catwalk, this time in Milan at an amazing industrial space at BASE.

Students from all over the world and some of the leading education establishments from every corner of the globe like Parsons, AMFI, UAL, FIDM, NABA and Polimoda to name but a few. As always the standard was high and put on to a level of a professional fashion show. This is a greatchance for the students to get right in front of some of the industries most important and most well trained eyes.

For many it would be a dream to get in front of Adriano Goldschmied and catch his eye. As the head judge his jury picked Massimiliano Mucciarelli as the worthy winner of the Best Seller Award.

The brief this year was on Genderful - celebrating the erosion of the old stereotypes with the new and inclusive ways to conceive of the multiplicity of modes of self expression. A nice little touch with the models all wearing masks often disguising their own gender.

The ISKO I-SKOOL™ Denim Design Award however is much more than a simple competition: it is a structured training program meant to motivate youth to learn everything they can about the art of denim and gain experience through a number of workshops and denim seminars that take place in the inspiring CREATIVE ROOM™, ISKO™ style and design center located in Italy.

With a keen eye on sustainability, especially with key supporters like Tonello and Lenzing this important message is starting to take hold. The Marketing Award really highlighted this with a brief to convince consumers to choose denim that has been produced with sustainable methods. It didnt end there as the Responsible Innovation Award, was given to the student with the most sustainable garment, which was Morine Uramoto.

A brilliant award and event that is important for the whole future of the industry and a great way to give back. So a big well done to all involved.

One of Ian's personal favourites

We couldn't but feel that this reminded us of Ian in the studio when he had found the jeans to work with.

The winners

Winner of the Best Seller Award

Massimiliano Mucciarelli from (Iuav Design della moda)
awarded by Adriano Goldschmied

Winner of the Responsible Innovation Award

Morine Uramoto from 文化服装学院（Bunka Fashion College),
awarded by Tricia Betz Carey ( Lenzing AG)

Winner of the Marketing Award

Team led by Sara Giordano with Victoria Kozyreva
from (POLIMODA) awarded by Diana Profir (ITEMA)

Winner of the SWAROVSKI Award

Giulia Masciangelo from NABA Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti,
awarded by Claudio Marcolli.