Review: More is never too much for Indian designer Manish Arora at SCAD FASH

Credit: Colin Douglas Gray

Credit: Colin Douglas Gray

Anyone who has been fortunate enough to have visited India, with its 1.4 billion people, has encountered the cacophony of colors that is everywhere: the brightly colored saris; the temple facades with painted gods from the Hindu pantheon; the garlands of flowers and market stalls selling mounds of Holi powder. India is multidimensional, with diverse cultures reflecting its many peoples, religions and languages. Its visual culture is intense, and its kitsch is in a category of its own — just look at Bollywood for a start.

Arora draws upon this heritage as a launching pad for his fantastical creations. At the same time, he decidedly looks to the West for his close-fitting designs. While his saturated colors — particularly pinks, oranges, golds and blues — are very much drawn from the streets of Mumbai, where he was born, and Delhi, where he attended fashion school, his designs are high-end Western couture.

The runway examples included in “Life Is Beautiful” are meant for the young, beautiful, famous and/or rich willing to wear his rambunctious creations — think Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj, whose 2010 frock worn at the American Music Awards is featured in the exhibition.

“Life Is Beautiful” is divided into 13 highly curated and designed tableaux with distinctive backdrops and accompanying props. Each section is thematic and is drawn from Arora’s various collections from 2006 to 2019, when he was at the pinnacle of his fame in the halls of Western high fashion, particularly the Parisian haute couture scene. Among the themes are “Fantasy,” “Space,” “Circus,” “Jungle,” “Candy” and “To Paris with Love” — each one uniquely raucous.

The most compelling and fascinating garments are those that most reference India, such as the “Kitsch” tableau that includes a dress with a motif of classical Indian gestures. I also was drawn to the fashions that adapted traditional Indian textile techniques, particularly those from North India, such as aari stitching and handmade brocades, with visual references to Indian culture and history.

Credit: Colin Douglas Gray

Credit: Colin Douglas Gray

The 2008 “Let’s Make Peace Skirt,” for example, uses the zardozi metal-wrapped thread embroidery technique to depict a medieval wartime scene. Another 2008 frock is the “Bindi Dress,” which uses a mirrored embroidery technique from the Kachchh region of India. Bindis — forehead marks drawn from Hinduism and Buddhism traditions — are decidedly Indian, but the dress is clearly from the Western runway. On the other hand, Arora occasionally creates designs rooted in Indian traditions, including a collaboration with Tribe Amrapali, an Indian-based company that re-interprets Indian jewelry worn by royalty and the well-heeled.

Credit: Colin Douglas Gray

Credit: Colin Douglas Gray

Within these fantasy installations is some biographical information, including details about Arora’s childhood in Bombay (now Mumbai), his early identification as being gay and a brief mention of this two-year stint as the designer for Paco Rabanne.

Other back stories are glossed over or unmentioned: For example, although the craftsmanship behind these creations is acknowledged, the individual artisans who spent months producing these garments are not celebrated. One can only hope that they were well-compensated for their skills, talents and endurance.

Arora has moved away from fashion and is now writing cookbooks and hosting pop-up restaurants in Paris. Apparently, his fashion house encountered financial troubles amid charges of unpaid employees and vendors. The story behind this business implosion is also untold.

But these omissions are easily set aside to enjoy such a spectacular exhibition. After all, life is beautiful.

VISUAL ART REVIEW

“Manish Arora: Life Is Beautiful”

SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film through Sept. 15. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays; noon-5 p.m. Sundays. $10; $8 seniors/military; $20 family of three or more; $5 college students with ID and alumni; free for under age 14, SCAD students, faculty, staff and members. 1600 Peachtree St. NW, Atlanta. 404-253-3132, scadfash.org

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Louise E. Shaw has been a cultural worker in Atlanta for over 40 years. She served as executive director of Nexus Contemporary Art Center from 1983 to 1998 and was on Eyedrum’s ad hoc advisory board in the 2000s.

Credit: ArtsATL

Credit: ArtsATL

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