Surrealism in a British Way
“I have spent my whole life in revolt against convention, trying to bring colour and light and a sense of the mysterious to daily existence.”
-Eileen Agar
For Pre-Fall 22, Erdem was inspired by the recent retrospective of Eileen Agar at the Whitechapel Gallery in London. Curated by Laura Smith, the exhibition was titled “Angel of Anarchy”. It brought Agar’s intriguing world to life with 150 artworks and objects that she created over the course of her prolific career that spanned eight decades of the 20th century. Though principally known as a surrealist, Agar defied convention, and it is her compellingly unconventional spirit that Erdem has sought to capture in the collection.
Agar’s artworks are an overt inspiration for a series of collage dresses, made from an expressive mash-up of colours, prints and motifs. Elements from her own wardrobe feature too, notably in blouses and shirts with pleated panels and ruffles. A geranium plant motif brings an innocent English garden moment to grown-up sweeping satin dresses; elsewhere, monochromatic polka dots introduce a surrealist graphic edge to cotton poplin and jacquard separates.
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