Introducing
DANIEL LISMORE
ARTIST BIO
Daniel is known for living his life as art by wearing elaborate and extravagant ensembles that combine haute couture with vintage fabrics, found objects, chainmail, ethnic jewellery, millinery and more, in an expression of eccentric, creative energy. Inspired by art in all its forms - he has received comparisons to the Australian performance artist Leigh Bowery[1] and Gilbert & George - history and his travels, Lismore constantly combines and amalgamates multiple inspirations from around the world into vibrant expressions of cultural appreciation.
THE PORTRAITS
Lismore’s focus on portraiture not only counteracts the pointing fingers and gaping mouths, but also places the visitor into the artist’s shoes. Surrounded by an intimidating multitude of staring eyes, the viewer becomes the centre of attention, thus subverting the conventional ‘artwork-to-viewer’ dynamic. Thus, ‘Exercise I’ becomes astriking reminder of the fact that everyone stares – people of all ages, genders, backgrounds and sexualities. And so do Peoples Of All Nations.
IT WAS LIVE
‘Exercise I’ is a collaborative event between POAN and Daniel Lismore, which gives itsvisitors the unique opportunity to witness the birth of an artwork. The project entails live garment painting by the artist, thus blurring the boundaries between ‘boutique’ and‘gallery’, ‘art’ and ‘fashion’. This liminality strongly echoes Lismore’s own extravagant style,which notoriously turns clothing into sculpture and vice-versa. The exclusive garments will be available for purchase, allowing their owners to immerse themselves in the wearable works and interact with art in an unprecedentedly intimate way.
Lismore’s notoriously eye-catching outfits, which earned him Vogue’s title of ‘England’s Most Eccentric Dresser’, come at the price of constant scrutiny and judgement. Consequently, the drawings displayed at ‘Exercise I’ are the artist’s way of staring back at the crowd. By depicting the individual faces that make up the crowd of curious onlookers, Lismore himself becomes the observer and playfully reverses the roles of ‘watcher’ and ‘watched’.
