All That You Have Is Your Soul – Exhibition Review

by Alex Bentsman

When we are all stripped of our mortal, materialistic riches, what is left of us? All That You Have Is Your Soul, a beautifully personal exhibition held over February 18th-20th in Galleria Objets, brings together pieces inspired by subjective views of mixed cultures.

Dedicated to bringing people together around a shared experience of contrast in culture, this exhibition explores the relationship between different approaches and perceptions of fashion. All That You Have Is Your Soul is an investigation into bending boundaries of design that paints a picture of contrasting segments of upbringing, accentuating the differences and allowing tension to remain visible, turning contrast into structure. 

Inducted through a warm and inviting atmosphere, filled with not just people but the smell and feel of a loving home, visitors were invited to explore fragments of identities merged into an unsystematic narrative. The very first hall walks the visitors through artists’ creative process by fragmented pieces of influence, inspiration and impact. Using elements like golden lace spools, marigold garlands, various textiles and queer art, the artist illustrates his upbringing to create an immersive experience into his mind. Different pieces of identity are represented through both day-to-day objects and memorabilia, bringing the very concept of vulnerability into the light without becoming spectacle.

Galleria Objets’ serene yet enchanting atmosphere perfectly captures the intimate nature of this collection. The captivating ambiance builds up and takes your breath away as you make your way into the main hall. Flushed by colour, texture and vibrancy, the gallery transforms into a multisensory and collaborative space filled with a charged and grounded energy. Blurring disciplines, the exhibition felt like a mixed artistic community, with multitude of creatives engaging with fashion, art and media, exchanging interpretations and ideas.

In conversation with the artists and designer of the exhibition Reuben George, it became apparent that the exhibition not only draws from artists’ upbringing, both British and Indian, but also from his inner and outer environment. Reuben and fellow artist Mia Evans have quoted the natural and organic to be as heavy of inspiration behind the exhibition as the body and human experience itself, seeing it as the extension of nature rather than an oxymoron.

All That You Have Is Your Soul mirrors structure and form of various eras of British fashion, and combines them with material approach from South East Asian communities by using reworked and zero-waste fabrics. Many pieces reflect that influence directly and clearly, such as the Fox and Skunk, the animal world taking form through second-hand fur and reimagined sari fabrics. The Skunk dress and Erogenous dress in particular channel 1960’s era in reimagined silhouettes, whilst other pieces such as the transformable Draped dress and Graduation dress transport the viewer into the halls of Victorian ballrooms. One of the elements in this exhibition that piqued the interest of attendees was the Utilitarian co-ord – a melting pot between the environments the designer grew up in, and various external influences on their work. Building upon Reuben’s mixed background, the co-ord is constructed through an old tent tarp from his father and a sari from his mother, featuring golden organic shapes that represent traditional embroidery of Indian fashion. 

Clothing being an expression of more than just colours of the soul but the desired state of mind and world, the collection represents resistance to conditioning. In a climate where dialogue about culture and belonging is simplified into binaries, All That You Have Is Your Soul offers a more nuanced approach. Instead of attempting to take the viewer entirely out of that box or societal standard, this exhibition strives to bend the boundaries of reality and the norm. The aim is not to create an entirely new reality, but to extend it into something both more extravagant and authentic to the complexity of a human soul by rejecting complicity. It recognises that identity is a continuous journey into memory, community and heritage, not necessarily a polished result.

All That You Have is Your Soul serves as a gentle reminder that when deprived of social expectation, what remains is not emptiness, but rather the very essence of self. Shaped by our history, layered by culture and expressed through the intimate language of our clothing, our identities are complex and never stop evolving. The exhibition leaves the viewer with an internal awareness of what the garments carried – vulnerability and love at no cost to reinvention.

Sincerely,

Galleria Objets.

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