Emanuela Di Filippo: A Glimpse into Art & Biba Fashion

About

I am inspired by shapes of Italian fashion, work uniforms and the brightness of the colours of British clothing, the simplicity of the shapes playing with primary colours, secondary and complementary.The human body, male or female, that communicates emotions through different clothing. I would like to link art to fashion.- Emanuela Di Filippo

The Kingston Museum is pleased to host an exhibition in their community case of oil pastels by Italian artist Emanuela Di Filippo inspired by the iconic London fashion of Biba and recently featured in The Observer. Emanuela's Show follows on from her exhibition at Bristol's City Hall and her feature in The Observer.

A Glimpse into Art & Biba Fashion at the Kingston Museum consists of a series of Biba printed greeting cards taken from Di Filippo's Biba pastels alongside a few originals. The colours and forms of these artworks utilise a wide range of colours from the silver, brown and gold of Biba to the brighter reds and yellows of Delaunay but always concentrating on the shape and pattern; the repetitions of stripes and flower patterns that characterise these fashion illustrations.

Di Filippo's influences include the slender portraits Modigliani and especially, the vibrant colours of Sonia Delaunay. In The Observer she explains, "I was inspired by abstract, minimal, contemporary artists. But then I came back to my first loves: art and fashion." Biba’s designs are reminiscent of the classic Italian fashion Di Filippo grew up with: "They have a simplicity of shape, and I loved the colours such as olive, rust, and bruised purple." For Di Filippo, Biba's 60s style remains timeless. "It’s like Coco Chanel’s little black dress. It will never get old."

Kingston Museum, Wheatfield Way, Kingston Upon Thames, England, KT1 2PS United Kingdom Tuesday, Friday, Saturday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am -7pm kingston.museum@kingston.gov.uk - 020 8547 6463 - www.kingston.gov.uk