Art is the focal point of AGI Denim’s first major public event, and indigo is its chosen medium.
The vertical denim manufacturer and Pakistan’s first B Corp-certified company will open “Exquisite Blue Towers, an exhibition of collaborative and individual artwork that celebrates indigo as a color by artists Holly E. Brown, Juan Manuel Gomez and Mauricio Arroyave.
The show will run from July 22-Aug. 6 in New York City at gallery@ in Chelsea. An opening reception will take place on July 21.
Under the theme “Exquisite Blue Towers,” the artwork will depict towers in cities significant to the artists. The exhibit will feature 20 large and medium scale pieces. Some of the work has never been shown, while others were previously exhibited in commercial galleries, said Henry Wong, AGI product developer and gallery director.
“My favorite pieces are those featuring New York City water towers as I am a New Yorker, born in Manhattan and raised in Brooklyn,” Wong said. “The iconic water towers are extremely nostalgic for me.”
The artists used a variety of techniques including drawing, painting and printmaking with Recycrom, Italian chemical manufacturer Officina+39’s upcycled pigments, as a medium.
Brown, who prints on paper and upcycled denim, and Gomez, who also serves as Officina+39’s creative leader, are well-versed in denim art. The artists collaborated on a project called “Magic Happens” for New York Denim Days in 2018. They worked simultaneously at Officina’s lab in Italy on four pieces that would inspire a small garment collection and T-shirt design.
Arroyave is a painter, plastic artist and art director with 12 years’ worth of experience designing denim showrooms.
Partnerships with artists and exhibitions are a popular way for the denim supply chain to showcase innovations. During London Frieze in May, DL1961 created an immersive “Indigo” exhibit with five zones covering life on the factory floor, a “fiber forest” that featured Recover and Tencel and a photo gallery of campaign images. Finishing technology firm Tonello has teamed with artist Ian Berry on a denim floral installation in San Francisco.
AGI’s mission for gallery, however, is to support artists and celebrate all forms and aesthetics, Wong said. The family-owned company is providing the gallery and logistics support, including materials and marketing. More art exhibitions are planned, Wong added.