Words Adam Snyder Photography Guzman

Published in No 17

Is there any creative soul who has not, at one time or another, imagined what it might be like to make their own clothing? Aaron Skolnick has recently taken a deep dive into the sartorial arts, and the early results are pretty fantastic.

 Ever since emerging into the art scene in Lexington, Kentucky, Skolnick has been recognized primarily as a painter, but he’s always considered himself more of a conceptual artist. Now living in a 19th-century farmhouse outside of Chatham, his art practice includes a performance component (which we’ll touch on shortly) but first we want to know more about the clothing, which he creates to be worn and also experienced as sculptural art objects.

“The suit I’m wearing right now is a very inviting suit,” Skolnick says, modeling a jacket made from a reconstructed quilt. “It represents the idea of coming together through the nature of quilt making.”

By contrast, he points to another blazer hanging nearby made from the same pattern but with less-homey fabric and featuring “void-ish” black pockets, which he imagines some people might almost shy away from. The hand stitching on both jackets is impressive. Like a heartbeat, there’s regularity but it’s not machinelike. Basically, there’s life to it.

“The quilted outfit did have to be partially machine sewn,” Skolnick explains. “I talked to the woman who made the quilt, she said because it has stitching-on-stitching if you don’t use a machine for the longer lines it will fall apart.”

This brings up the point that, as with learning any art form, there’s a threshold of practical knowledge to be crossed, as well as the sheer physicality of creating something with one’s hands.

“I realized that in order to really understand certain seams and learn how to move my fingers, I had to put my paintbrush down for a moment and not rely on something that I know. And I had to fail a bunch, getting the needle right, moving things with different fabrics.”

Each material handles differently. Muslin, for example, feels to him like water, whereas the quilt was “like trying to put your hand through almost-dried plaster.” And then there’s the matter of keeping your butt in one place.

“I move around a lot when I’m painting. When you’re sewing you’re just, like, stuck here. So, I get up every two hours and I’m, like, you have to go outside and play with the chickens. We have five acres, so I’ll go walk through the woods or up the lane. You have to do something.”

Skolnick spends up to 15 hours a day sewing. He usually can’t listen to music because it messes with his stitching rhythm. The process has proved to be meditative. It’s also inspired further research into the history of making clothes, and how the process differs culture to culture.

“In some countries, everything is out of necessity,” Skolnick says. “I started thinking about that, especially with the pants, which I started editing down. How can I work within something that I need? What is necessary on this object?”

This said, Skolnick’s vision goes beyond functionality, and here’s where conceptual art comes in. Almost like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly, after each piece of clothing is worn for a season it becomes sculpture.

“I’m allowed to hand wash or dry clean it once a month. I want them to wear, I want them to change,” he says. “I think it will be really beautiful in the end, with something like an Eva Hesse materiality to it.”

Skolnick sees collectors of his work as conspirators because they too will be wearing the art that will ultimately reside in their collections. The first edition of ten will be a black sleeveless blazer. Hand-stitched by Skolnick, the blazer is unlined cotton twill with a three-inch lapel, sized somewhere between a men’s 38-40R.

“It would have a tag with your name on it inside, hand embroidered, it would have the beginning date, the ending date. I would get it back, then you would get a concrete pedestal with the object on top of it.”

He considers six months sensible because he’s referencing couture clothing that’s worn for a season, then usually “archived” in a garment bag instead of put on a pedestal. But will collectors play along and adhere to the various rules he’s insisting upon? Skolnick believes an emphatic Yes!

“If I were to purchase something like this, I would wear it every fucking day. I would destroy it to have fun with it. Like, I would go clean my chicken coop in it, have fun in it. I think it would be so wonderful, like, Oh my God, I have to participate, how do I do it?”

So, the clothing is wearable, conceptual, and even sculptural. But, for Skolnick, it goes further and is also performance art. Slipping into a suit, he sees himself transforming into a sort of meta-art-self that’s subtle enough it might not be readily apparent to those who don’t know him well. But there are other “transformations” that are far more unmistakable.

For example, he has recreated outfits made famous by various American cultural icons, such as Andy Kaufman. Donning the outfit, his Andy Kaufman is as convincing as Jim Carrey’s or Andy himself. He’s recorded himself performing in the woods and intends to start performing in galleries and other spaces.

“The performance is going to be non-breaking, I’m just making everyone aware of what I’m doing, because I think it’s hilarious. I think we are doing a Kaufman-esque thing without realizing it, from people putting up what they ate today, talking about their relationships. Everything is so performative but we’re just not aware of what we’re doing, whereas with Andy it really was a Truman show, it was like, I’m going to fuck with you all, constantly.”

Skolnick is currently doing a series of accompanying paintings, depicting himself transforming into his various heroes, including Kaufman, Kurt Cobain, and others. Fans of Aaron Skolnick’s painting need not worry, painting is still very much part of his output, even as it shares the stage with conceptual art, performance, and fabulous clothing.

Aaronskolnick.com

Adam Snyder is a writer/musician from Kingston who now lives in Woodstock. He regularly contributes to HV1. adamsnyder.com

Guzman are regular contributors to UD and are represented by

veronique-peresdomergue.net  @lesguzman