Installation Website: http://fear-of-nostalgia.com

No Soil Is Foreign

History and Humanity in the work of John Michael Rusnak

“As artists, we plant seeds,” states John Michael Rusnak, an individual whose longtime passion for the notion of a global humanity has given rise to this memorable exhibition. Ideas that might flower within the viewer are indeed sown throughout. Rusnak, with his knack for creating artworks that are simultaneously poignant and mysterious, has given us a kind of secret handshake, a gesture that he hopes will contribute to a race of beings who are fertile, durable and most of all equal.

Picture this: a small motorcade of official cars in Cuba. It’s 2011 and a flashing light
on the vehicle carrying the Minister of Defense announces the event. Rusnak, his distinguished colleague Dr.Ivan A. Schulman (who was instrumental in bringing this occasion to fruition) , filmmaker Beth Bischoff and Rusnak’s artist/assistant Sasha das Gupta ; after having unraveled the necessary red tape to gain the imprimatur of the government, are being escorted to the casting and photo shoot. Rusnak has been looking forward to this moment for several months, having created storyboards of the images and staged them in his mind’s eye dozens of times. Young girls line up to be photographed for Moncadistas and are told in Spanish by the American Rusnak to pose as if thinking

“I am a strong woman. I am the future of Cuba.” The casual confidence on the faces
of the beautiful young subjects’ is impossible to miss. Cadets from the triptych entitled Acronimo are rigidly posed and instructed to contemplate the notion “I believe in my mind, but Cuba has my heart.” The effect is startling, as Rusnak manages to capture these men in the act of becoming a part of a universal whole, while retaining the impression that each has his own fears, loves, and individual sense of pride.

The six magnificent triptychs in the exhibition “Fear of Nostalgia” represent the culmination of Rusnak’s more than 100 days spent in Cuba, though he sees them as timeless and even cross-cultural. Certainly the images have an inescapable political charge, but topical issues and the vagaries of international policy, profound as they are, were never his primary motivating force. “These images transcend borders and could have been taken in many places,” he observes. Still, the artist now admires Cuba and its people for the ubiquitous evidence of what he has dubbed “racial equilibrium.” Decades of intermarriage between races, generational shifts and indelible cultural levelers interposed by Castro—some noble, some tragically misguided— represent almost subliminal layers within each rich image.

Created with a Toyo 4 x 5 Field camera and Polaroid 55 negative film, the large images retain the remnants of the printing process: all manner of self-soiling from smudges to

sprocket holes which become an integral part of the works. The artist conceives of these handsome imperfections as artifacts from the creation of the photographs. Its “history,”
so to speak, is there for us to see. Black edges left behind by the process in effect frame the subjects, and the viewer might be left with the impression that he or she is looking through a kind of window or doorway. We are privileged witnesses to these silent, solemn but clearly monumental events. As Susan Sontag wrote in her essay On Photography, “After the event has ended, the picture will still exist,conferring on the event a kind of immortality (and importance) it would never otherwise have enjoyed..” Rusnak, recognizing the power and responsibility inherent in his cross-cultural undertaking, manages to bestow a respectful gaze on the individuals as well as on Cuban soil. He creates fresh, cinematic worlds within each triptych.

In Panterras Negras, we are presented with a man who John’s team nicknamed
“Jimi Hendrix” because of his affection for the late musician. He sits on a parked motorcycle, while a lady friend sits contentedly in the sidecar. Where are they going? They’re traveling through their lives. They remain dignified despite the occasional, cryptic presence of oversized ‘fro wigs on their heads. Los Viejos Negros y Los Jovenes Blancos is a provocative and potent set of images that depicts two black adults resting on the tire-less carcass of an automobile as young white babies in diapers sit on the dusty ground before them. Conceived as a response to Robert Frank’s photograph of a noble-looking African-American woman holding a cherubic Caucasian baby, the piece by Rusnak will elicit heartfelt philosophical responses from all who stand in front of it. Meaningful dialogues about race and culture are precisely what artist Rusnak intends to evoke.

Rusnak is not content to create a strictly photographic portrayal of the lives of others.
He is also an accomplished painter and draftsman, and graphite drawings are
incorporated into the works. These elements are masterfully wrought and blended in nearly imperceptible ways within theimages. Subjective perception is stimulated and challenged by yet another layer in the triptychs.The black-and-white photo-based works are printed through a 4-color process, then carefully juxtaposed with others from each series. Rusnak builds narrative upon poetic narrative. The blindfolds on the young girls are graphic elements that were added later by the artist, though the cigarettes that dangle from their mouths are “real.” The entire grassy foreground in Postura de los Santos, an unforgettable depiction of three praying nuns flanked by shirtless men in handcuffs, was drawn and then digitally placed in the image after the fact. In what is arguably the most intrusive of the graphic elements, the artist has replaced all of his cadets’ lower halves with the same pair

of sturdy legs in pants. The trio of images has become at once more formal and somehow less stern, as if Rusnak is implying that, from the waist down, all men are identical. In each instance, the graphic elements, while remaining nearly undetectable add not only to visual impact but also the aforementioned history of the photograph itself. If photography provides evidence, Rusnak’s hybrid masterworks present a poetic sleight-of-hand that plays tricks on our eyes and massages our memories. Reality, he seems to be saying, is so elusive as to be beside the broader humanisticpoint being made.

Cuban statesman, writer and poet José Martí, a great thinker on politics and personal liberty, remains a hero to his people. Rusnak, the artist and humanist, was particularly moved by a quote from Martí:

“There is no task more difficult than distinguishing throughout our existence what is infectious and acquired from spontaneous and prenatural life...no sooner are we born than, on hand, standing nearby the cradle, are the philosophies, religions, parent’s passions, political systems to which we are bound with large, strong blindfolds. And man is tied, bound for the rest of life, a blinkered horse...it’s our urgent task to restore mankind to itself.”

This became a cornerstone of Rusnak’s “Fear of Nostalgia”, a mini manifesto that served as inspiration and guide for the entire project. The Freedom Fighter’s words, like Rusnak’s portraits of his fellow sentient beings, belong to all mankind. In what might be described as a kind of miracle, the Cuban government is officiallypleased with Rusnak’s creation. The artist donated these works to the National Museum of Photography, Fototeca de Cuba, where they remain on display to this day. On an independent, troubled, dignified island in the Caribbean, artistic seeds have been planted.

- Doug McClemont, April 2013

Doug McClemont is a New York-based writer, curator and critic. 

Paula Patton

Piper Perabo

Beau Garrett

Sarah Roemer

Rachel Nichols

Photographed By: John Michael Rusnak 

Written By: Long Nguyen

The curtain rises in the Théatre des Champs Élysées for the Fendi Haute Fourrure show, revealing a colorful panoramic print of “Piazza d’Italia,” an oil canvas painted in Paris in 1913 by Italian surrealist Giorgio de Chirico, a model enters wearing a full- length Russian sable hooded opera coat with silk taffeta lining, and metallic leather thigh high boots. This performance is the celebration of the 50-year- old collaboration between Fendi and Karl Lagerfeld that closed the Paris Fall-Winter couture season.

At this same theater more than a century ago, the premiere performance of Stravinsky’s Le Sacré du Printemps ushered an era of revolution- ary changes in the arts, music and fashion towards modernity. The audience purportedly rioted after disagreements surged about the novel artistic approaches; Printemps deliberately eschewed exist- ing accepted repertoires in favor of experimental sounds, movements, and styles, unleashing a novel approach to art and culture.

Experimentation and innovation are the pil- lars, which transform industries, arts, and society; they are particularly critical for fashion, especially couture or high luxury fashion that excels in tech- nical expertise in the pursuit of original clothes.

An innovation that erases and pushes boundar- ies is at the heart of the longest working partnership in fashion between designer Lagerfeld and Fendi. The collaboration has transformed fur—a central part of the house’s DNA—into a relevant currency responsible for the material’s resurgence as a high fashion material. “Fendi is a global brand with high quality and modern design,” says Lagerfeld, “it is moving forward, changing and enticing. That’s what fashion is about.”

The Fendi atelier’s constant invention of new techniques in response to the exigencies of the creative designs has been instrumental in this relationship and has modernized fur, a Fendi specialty since the house first opened. “When I met the five sisters [Founder Adele Fendi’s five daughters joined the company in 1946] they were known in Rome for expensive and beautiful furs. I had a modern vision and they asked me to create a small collection with furs worn in a different way,” says Lagerfeld, recalling his initial encounter with the Roman house.

Fendi is the only major fashion house today

operating a large fur atelier of craftsmen with specialized skills to handle the pelts. The creation process starts with a sketch from Lagerfeld; the atelier translates the drawing by making paper patterns that will eventually become the backbone of a coat in the form of a muslin prototype, then materials are selected from different kinds of pelts chosen for weight. A coat can take up to 600 hours of hand labor depending on the degree of difficulty.

To solve different creative problems like ren- dering furs into a soft fabric or infusing them with other materials to enhance the pelts’ versatility, the atelier develops complex methods like the Gheronato technique which renders the fur pliable and softer by lengthening the furs without interrup- tions and laying them diagonally so that the inner side appears seamless.

Technical prowess anchored within an

artisanal approach produced the marvels in this Haute Fourrure show—a metallized chinchilla, a multicolor mink, fox and feathers on crêpe de chine cropped jacket, and a silvery Russian sable on white duchesses 3-D flower coat embroidered with vinyl and crystals—the climax of which was indisputably the white swakara and mink cape with golden feathers sprouting from the sleeves and collars like bird wings on white duchesse satin crafted in conjunction with the Paris feather experts Lemarié and the specialty fabric maker and embroiderer Hurel.

“The lightness is really the signature of the Fendi Furs pioneered by Karl,” says Silvia Venturini Fendi, Anna Fendi’s daughter and Creative Director since 1994, “This is something very unique only at Fendi. When it moves, the Fendi Fur becomes very sensual.” 

Photographer: John Michael Rusnak 

Style Director: Long Nguyen

Associate Fashion Editor: Zaquan Champ

Models: Andre Bona for requestmodels.com, New York and Alex Oko-Osi For fordmodels.com, New York

Technical Photo Collaboration: Eric Vogel

Aesthetic Collaboration: Carl L. Schwartz

Location: Stamford, NY

Photography by: John Michael Rusnak

Written by: Long Nguyen

FENDI COMMEMORATES 15 INFLUENTIAL YEARS

“I was asked, among other things, to come up with a particularly easy and functional handbag. In a certain sense, it had to be technological and minimal, just like the times. My response—fortunately I am indomitably disobedient—was the Baguette,” says Silvia Venturini Fendi, who is in Rome when I speak to the accessories guru about her simple, rectangular-shaped bag, with its small handle and double F inverted logo closure that has, after 15 years, solidified its status as the break-through design leaven for the couture handbag market.  “We called the bag ‘the Baguette’ after the French loaf as a reference to how the bag should be carried—under the arm. This easy, yet chic, way of carrying a handbag made it the perfect size to hold all the essentials. Nothing more. Nothing less.” She emphasizes that the small size of the bag was an intentional design concept, but the widespread and immediate success of the Baguette that revolutionized the Fendi label and launched a late 90’s phenomenon, and ushered in the It Bag era—was certainly something she hadn’t intended.

“I was surprised by how immediately the Baguette was sought after, and at that time we were a family-run company, so I don’t think we were prepared for such a success from a production point of view. The lack of this bag [on the market] made it even more popular and everyone wanted to be put first on waiting lists.” The waiting lists lengthened substantially after Carrie Bradshaw flaunted her Baguette in several episodes of Sex and the City, and soon fashion designers were racing to establish the next must have accessory. Joining the Baguette were other famous designer handbags of the times—Chloé’s “Paddington,” Balenciaga’s “Motorcycle,” or “Giant City,” YSL’s “Uptown,” “Downtown” and “Muse,” and Prada’s “Antik Hobo” to name a few.

Yet when the It Bag bubble burst around 2006—presaged by significant and worrisome trading losses at the Société Générale and a shift in consumer taste from loud luxury to shifted from loud luxury to more of a discreet sort—the Baguette never faded, primarily due to Ms. Fendi’s emphasis on crafting an endless variety of Baguettes. Each one had a particular individual feel: multiple color options, materials ranging from leather to exotic skins to print fabrics, embellishments, fringes, even unique options for the F logo buckle closure.  The simplicity of the design allowed for greater customization and is, in essence, what assured the Baguette’s survival and continued relevance despite faltering economies and changing moods.  “Over 1,000 styles have been created since 1997, with many more variations to come. From exotic leathers, embroidery and beading to fur accents, luscious fabrics and artist interpretations, the possibilities are infinite. The bag’s versatility is what accounts for its longevity. Its clean shape can be treated with any kind of material and workmanship, so everyone can find a Baguette that they feel is their very own.”

The celebration of an anniversary is also cause for revisiting the past. For those who may have missed the original Jean bag made from washed denim, or the Specchietti with mirror embroideries, Ms. Fendi has reissued six of her favorite designs to be available at stores this Fall. In conjunction, Rizzoli has published Fendi Baguette, a 250-page book of true-to-scale photographs of the Baguettes, including the one-of-a-kind collaborations between Fendi and artists like Richard Prince—he printed a handwritten personal confession to a psychiatrist on the bag—or Damien Hirst, who used rows of differently colored circular geometric forms for his Fendi creation. During the Haute Couture show week in Paris last July, Fendi set up a pop-up shop, ‘Baguettemania,’ at the Colette store to fête both the book and the re-issued favorites from past seasons.

“These Baguettemania pop-up stores are envisaged as temporary installations that transform the pages of the new book into tangible reality, showing the experimental nature of the Baguette in a non-celebratory way,” says Ms. Fendi.  The next stop for Baguettemania is a pop-up shop in early September at Maxfield in Los Angeles, with an exhibition and auction of art Baguettes by Chaz Bojorquez, Kenny Scharf and Pae White to benefit MOCA. Then Baguettemania will travel later this year to the Dover Street Market in London before jetting off to Tokyo.

The Baguette has negotiated the transition from trend to icon that proves, more often than not, too difficult for most fashion accessories. No matter how astringently declared the death of the It Bag is, elegance and simplicity will never become stale. And as the there seems no shortage of customers queuing up for Baguettes, the House of Fendi will continue to bake delicious Baguettes for its customers, for years to come.

ART by John Michael Rusnak in collaboration with photographer Beth Bischoff. 

WRITTEN by Long Nguyen

Behind the glass partitions of an incognito building on a side street off Avenue Jean Lolive in northeastern Paris, leather craftsmen cut pelts into the first components for all Hermès handbags—mounts of light brown, camel, and dark green uncut full-sized pelts are neatly stacked side-by-side on top of a long rolling cart posited just a few steps from the reception desk.

“You have to look very carefully to see the tiniest of defects on the skin,” says one artisan. He’s using a white crayon to mark inconsistencies like a stretchmark or an uneven dot—mistakes often invisible to untrained eyes—with small circles or X’s. Any products with the subtlest of flaws are rejected by Hermès’ fetishistic quality control standards.

“We used only the top five percent of highest quality leathers,” mentions another artisan, “like Porosus Australian saltwater crocodile, known for their small defined and evenly shaped tiles, tundra Sikkim calfskin for texture, Togo calfskins for anti-scratch or the clemence taurillon for dexterity.” He’s preparing black crocodile for the hand-cutting process specific to the 35-centimeter Birkin bag.

Pascale Mussard, the artistic director of Petit h and the sixth generation of the Hermès scion, has spent over 35 years working at the fashion house—tackling everything from textile buying to being the co-artistic director. Mussard initiated the Petit h project in 2009 by working with the jeweler Gilles Jonemann in Aix-en- Provence, using a combination of rejected wares from the ateliers at Hermès. Mussard convinced the family to establish Petit h, first as a test, with collaborations with designers Christian Astuguevielle, Alice Cozon, and Adrien Rovero that paid homage to the Hermès heritage of craftsmanship and innovation.

“Here is the Ali Baba cave where we recuperated many of the discarded materials from all of the depart- ments at Hermès,” says Mussard. Items like zippers, belt buckles, padlocks and keys for Kelly bags, silk scarves, ties, Clou de Selle buttons, crystals, luggage tags, surround her in a storage room, and more are collated, waiting at the ready. As a jeweler with limited resources, Jonemann has to use different materials for his jewelry rather than precious stones (a few of Jonemann and Mussard’s early prototypes still reside on Mussard’s desk, among them, a broken teapot lamp adorned with crocodile wings and a camel made entirely of top quality calfskins).

“The generous dialogue between the artisans and the designers is primordial to Hermès,” says Mussard. “The idea and the making of each product are [a] very serious undertaking even though Hermès has always celebrated creativity with a degree of fantasy. Here, the proposition is surely never one about marketing but

one of how to make life more joyous with objects that will last and will stay with the customers for a long time. Each of these Petit h objects can—on their own—tell the story and the history of Hermès.”

She continues: “A gesture that one forgets is a gesture that is lost forever. When lifestyle changes over the course of decades, skills can be lost. Excellence in craftsmanship requires both a continual process of repeating the same tasks to perfection in addition to being open to innovation by learning from others with different skills. In today’s ever- changing environment of advancing technology, there is a real appreciation for the handiwork in a similar way to the demands for sustainable and ecological means of productions. Petit h isn’t a big collection of products. Although we reproduce the sum of objects, there are no permanent items.”

Due to the limited and often unique products, an assortment of Petit h is sold during special exhibitions that started at the Faubourg Saint Honoré headquarters store in 2010—then travelled to Tokyo in May 2011, Hong Kong in September 2012, London this past November, and finally to South Coast Plaza in mid-June. About a year ago, Petit h had a permanent home at the front of the rue de Sèvres left bank store, where Mussard had built a display wall made from a series of rectangular pieces of wood where rods could be pulled or pushed to form different structures showcasing a range of items.

“About 30 Petit h objects have entered into Hermès—like these pleated silk necklaces,” Mussard says. “I refuse the projects that would require the team to repeat the tasks or those [that] are already concurrent at Hermès. Godefroy de Virieu, a young artist, worked with Gérard Lognon, a specialist in haute couture, to make three-dimensional silk pleating that can guard their shapes. Eventually they pleated fine leathers. This trans- formative aspect of the Petit h project can produce the necessary innovation that Hermès can absorb and grow.”

The preservation, transformation, and innovation of ancien savoir faire—an age-old master craft—stand at the heart of all Hermès activities. Adapting handicraft skills required for making a harness into crafting a handbag has transformed Hermès into a diverse conglomerate. Likewise, in four years the creative endeavors by artists and artisans at Petit h have transformed the once-small project into a proper métier. 

Photographed by John Michael Rusnak

Written By Long Nguyen

In 2006 Rusnak began the process of integrating his own art with his photography. He created hand-painted murals and other “hard-art” pieces specifically to use as backgrounds for his commercial and editorial work. He next added the elements of photomontage to this artistic process in a series of powerful portraits which led to his first U.S. photographic-exhibition, CLIMATE25 in 2008 at Mark Seliger’s 401 Projects Gallery.

Author, Mark Eden Horowitz speaks about John Michael Rusnak as such: 

After the apocalypse, what do we call the next generation? Survivors... victims...conquerors? The beautiful ones will always get by, but how could they ever forgive us our selfishness,ignorance, and cruelties? Or will they, too, always be part of the continuum-- victim and victimizer? Are we our own weak and failed gods, full of potential-- willing to make some sacrifices, but never enough and never the right ones? Creator and destroyer. Loving and cruel. There is always hope with the young, but each generation seems weakened by what has come before. The blood pales into quicksilver-- mercury, both beautiful and poisoned. Muscle bone and flesh are sleek and supple, yet brittle, and fearful of contagion, plague and shattering. Protected by wire and glass, the lucky ones are still haunted by us -- their past -- and what they themselves will create with their ambiguous gender and humanity. Between angels and ghosts, they are the future.