Artist Brandon Morris recently showcased his haunting and unique artistic creation at Europa Gallery in his latest solo exhibition titled “Actress.” The exhibition featured a series of spectral dresses that were devoid of any bodies to occupy them, creating an eerie and unsettling atmosphere within the gallery space.
Morris, a New York-based artist with a background in dressmaking, demonstrated a remarkable mastery over the fabric he worked with. The dresses in the “Actress” exhibition stood rigidly, lacking the graceful billowing movement typically associated with garments. Instead, every fold, wrinkle, and curve seemed to be frozen in stillness, adding to the overall uncanny nature of the pieces.
One of the most striking features of Morris’s creations was their haunting translucency, emitting a green glow that called to mind the appearance of a ghost. The dresses seemed to float within the gallery space, suspended in mid-air with no one wearing them, further amplifying the sense of discomfort and unease experienced by viewers.
To achieve these ghostly forms, Morris took vintage Victorian children’s gowns and adapted them, creating new patterns that he then sewed with fiberglass using an industrial sewing machine. The garments were then stiffened with green resin, giving them a hollow and ethereal quality that hinted at a mysterious past life.
Approaching these dresses forces viewers to confront the emptiness within them, prompting questions about who or what these garments once held, where they have gone, and what fate befell them. The dresses serve as a reflection of Morris’s skill as an artist in creating pieces that provoke both curiosity and anxiety in those who encounter them.
Inspired by the 1998 Japanese horror film “Ring,” Morris drew on the image of Sadako, the film’s vengeful ghost, whose rigid and hunched appearance inside her dress resonated with the artist. This influence is evident in the eerie and unsettling quality of the dresses featured in the “Actress” exhibition, adding another layer of depth to the overall experience of the artwork.
In the words of Europa Gallery, the dresses created by Morris “evoke not life but its residues,” capturing a sense of lingering presence and absence simultaneously. To explore more of Brandon Morris’s captivating work, you can follow him on Instagram for updates and insights into his artistic process.
As we immerse ourselves in the world of Brandon Morris’s ghostly creations, we are reminded of the power of art to evoke emotions, spark contemplation, and challenge our perceptions of the world around us. Through his unique and haunting artistic vision, Morris invites us to delve into the mysteries of the past, the present, and the unseen realms that lie beyond our immediate understanding.
