Fantich & Young


Mariana Fantich & Dominic YoungMariana Fantich, born and raised in the Ukraine, is an artist and digital media specialist and Dominic Young is an English musician and artist. Since 2008, they have collaborated under the name Fantich & Young and are currently based in London’s East End. The duo juxtaposes and manipulates symbolic ready-made objects including Saville Row suits and Jimmy Choo shoes - in order to parallel both natural and social evolution, calling into question the theory of natural selection with nods to ceremonial ritual and the supernatural - a concept they term Darwinian Voodoo.

Their Apex Predator project, an outgrowth of Darwinian Voodoo, was inspired by the 2008 financial crisis. Luxury consumer goods augmented with ritualistic items such as teeth, bones, and hair represent the banking community and its escape from

(cont’d.)


criminal prosecution. Darwin’s notion of “survival of the fittest” is called into question when society is faced with banks whose criminal actions went unpunished. The financiers thus become the titular Apex Predator - topping the food chain, facing no real, threat, and possessing perhaps a touch of the supernatural.

Fantich & Young’s works critique the tenets of Social Darwinism, challenging the idea of human supremacy by emphasizing our animalistic natures. As an alternative, they advocate for a greater focus on collaboration rather than competition. Despite the highly academic theories underpinning their work, however, the pair encourage viewers to drive their own meanings, citing Duchamp’s statement that the viewer adds an important dimension to the creative act. The strong public reaction to Apex Predator, and the plethora of interpretations that resulted, showcases Fantich & Young’s ability to effectively merge the creative disciplines of fine art, design, and fashion.

Career


Curriculum Vitae

Mariana Fantich Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education Art, Design and Communication, University of the Arts London

Master of Fine Arts in Media, Slade School of Art, University College London

Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art, Middlesex University

Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art, Lviv National Academy of Arts

Dominic Young Master of Arts in Printmaking, Camberwell College of Arts

Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art, Guildhall University

Mariana Fantich, a native of the Ukraine, and Dominic Young, from Bristol, England, are currently based in East London.

Education Solo Exhibitions

2017

Apex Predator | Darwinian Voodoo, Wynwood Arts District, Miami, USA

2016

Fantich & Young, SOFA Expo, Chicago, USA

Apex Predator | Darwinian Voodoo, BBT Luxury Lifestyle Expo, ADNEC, Abu Dhabi

Fantich & Young, Houston Art Fair, Houston, USA

2015

Apex Predator | Darwinian Voodoo,

projects+gallery, St. Louis, USA

Fantich & Young, SOFA Expo, Chicago, USA

2012

Artist Open Studio, Fantich & Young Studio, London, UK

2011

Double Games, Red In Tooth And Claw, See Studio, London, UK

2010

Artist Open Studio, Fantich & Young Studio, London, UK

2018

A Queen Within: Adorned Archetypes, New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, USA

RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom, Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, USA

2017

XOXO, Des Lee Gallery, St. Louis, USA

See Yourself E(x)ist, Pratt Manhattan Gallery, New York City, USA

Shoetopia, The Valade Family Gallery, Detroit, USA

Jan Jansen Shoe Treasures, Amsterdam

High Heels, Die hohe Kunst der Schuhe, Internationale Künstler and Designer

The Object as Mirror, projects+gallery, St. Louis, USA

2016

People & Other Creatures, projects+gallery, St. Louis, USA

Haute Hip-Hop, projects+gallery, St. Louis, USA

Inspirations Space: WILD, Maison & Objet, Paris, France

2015

Utopian Bodies: Fashion Looks Forward, Liljevalchs Konsthall, Stockholm, Sweden

Group Exhibitions


2014

Whit Perspectives, Somerset House, London, UK

History Under Your Feet, Spielzeug Welten Museum, Basel, Switzerland

Shoe Show, 360 MALL, Main Atrium, Al Zahra, Kumwait

The Threadneedle Prize 2014: Figurative Art Today, Mall Galleries, London, UK

SHOEting Stars: Shoes in Art and Design, Museum Hundertwasser, Vienna, Austria

Shoe Show, 360 MALL, Main Atrium, Al Zahra, Kuwait

The Threadneedle Prize 2014: Figurative Art Today, Mall Galleries, London, UK

SHOEting Stars: Shoes in Art and Design, Museum Hundertwasser, Vienna, Austria

Friday Late, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK

2013

Auf Schritt und Tritt, Villa Rot Museum, Burgrieden, Germany

Creekside Open 2013 Selected by Ceri Hand, A.P.T. Gallery, London, UK

Group Exhibitions (cont’d.)

Starker Auftritt!, Grassi Museum of Applied Arts, Leipzig, Germany

Skin No. 1, OUKAN, Concept Store for Japanese and International Avant-Garde, Berlin, Germany

2012

Juxtaposition, See Studio, London, UK

On Fire, Old Fire Station, London, UK

Is This A Warning?, New Inn Yard, London UK

2010

Double Games, Red In Tooth And Claw, See Studio, London, UK

2009

Art of the STITCH, Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest, Hungary

Art of the STITCH, Fundación Valentín de Madariaga - MP, Seville, Spain

2008

Art of the STITCH, Deutsches Textilmuseum, Krefeld, Germany

Art of the STITCH, Waterhall Gallery, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, UK


Select Press2017

“Where Kink, Fashion, Art and Politics Come to Play Together,” Playboy Magazine

“A Wynwood Pop-Up Will Sell Luxury Goods Adorned With Human Teeth and Hair,” Miami New Times

“Apex Predator,” Miami Herald

Evolutionary Creativity: the Work of Art Collective Fantich & Young,” Oasis Magazine

2016

“How to Create Art in a Gentrified World?” 1 Granary

2015

“Exploring the Darker Side of Fashion,” Hint Fashion Magazine

“Fantich & Young—Apex Predator,” Whitezine

“O Mordi I Ti Mordono,” FrizziFrizzi Magazine

“Harder, Stronger, Richer: Teeth-Laden Fashion for the 1% by Fantich & Young,” Yatzer

“Darwinian Voodoo by Fantich & Young ‘Apex Predator’ Collection,” HANGER Magazine

“Apex Predator,” I.T. Post

“Fantich & Young,” Overchic

2014

“Fantich & Young’s Toothy Shoe Sculptures for their ‘Apex Predator’ Series,” Hi-Fructose Magazine

“Hungry Heels: Some Designs Require a Reservation,” Heaven Has Heels Magazine

“Apex Predator Shoes by Fantich & Young,” London Street Design Magazine

“Fantich & Young Implacts Teeth into the Soles of Mary Janes,” Designboom

2013

“Auf Schritt und Tritt’ in the Villa Rot Museum,” Südwest Presse

“Elegant Zum Affen gemacht,” Frankfurter Allgemeine

“Spooky-Couture: The Fashion Show from Hell, Via Fantich & Young,” The Independent

“Fantich & Young,” ROOMS Magazine

“Enjoy Your Nightmares! Shoes Soles Made of Dentures and Other Gritty Ephemera,” Fast Company Design

2012

“Evolutionary Creativity: The Work of Art Collective Fantich & Young,” Oasis Magazine

“Apex Predator Shoes by Fantich & Young,” Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine

“Predator shoes have teeth for soles,” New York Daily News

“Footwear with Bite!” Daily Mail

“Shoes Made of Teeth: Art or Stupid?” Vice Magazine

“Fearsome Feets of Art,” Citizen Brooklyn


Contact:

Susan Barrett Founder & President [email protected] 314.283.8511

Kelly Peck Vice President [email protected] 314.696.8678

Barrett Barrera Projects 4738 McPherson Avenue Saint Louis, Missouri 63108 USA

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Fantich & Young - Barrett Barrera

Documents

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