Let's subvert! Joseph Malson's 'Garment Werk' messes with your perception of fashion

When fiber artist, Joseph Malson, was a child he often watched his mom at home sewing clothing for him and his four siblings. When she stitched fabrics of bright colors and bold patterns, they always caught his eye, especially florals and geometric designs.

Today, Malson incorporates vivid, often vintage prints and playful embellishments into his garments that aim to challenge the status quo of gender expectations.

This Friday, Cleo the Gallery debuts Malson’s “Garment Werk” at First City Pride Center. The exhibit features eight pieces based on paper patterns of men’s work wear and military uniforms, which Malson has re-imagined in an array of bold fabrics and whimsical flourishes. The evening kicks-off with an artist’s reception, and exhibit on display through May 5.

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Malson, who has a BFA in Fiber Art from the Maryland Institute College of Art, lived his early childhood in Albany, Ga. When his father took a job in Wisconsin, the family followed, and Malson spent his teen years in the small city of Fond du Lac, still watching his mother sew.

With an eye for fashion, Malson also developed a keen awareness of how some items of clothing were only for women and others specifically for men.

“What I find fascinating is that men’s clothing is never allowed to be ridiculous,” emphasized Malson. “You know, super bright, sense of humor, big patterns and things that don’t match, while women’s fashion often embraces these in day-to-day couture. I wanted to play with this observation and challenge the notion of traditional masculinity. Essentially, I’m making things to subvert.”

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This fascination inspired “Garment Werk,” with the idea for the show taking hold while making a pair of cargo pants for himself. He thought it’d be funny if he constructed them from sheer leopard print fabric, effectively nullifying the utility of the pants while also challenging their perceived masculinity.

“This was my “aha” moment because the pants weren’t the first garment I’d approached in constructing clothing this way,” revealed Malson. “And so after making 10 garments, all different of course, but with this same principle of subversion running through them, I really wanted to display them as works of art. I’m subverting the garments’ intended use by its material, and that raises questions about form, function and gender performance.”

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A particular stand out is a military jacket re-interpreted through French-inspired and blue-green floral fabrics.

“One of my favorite pieces is the jacket based on a Civil War uniform,” said Malson. “I took the basic jacket shape, and then using material—I have a couple rooms of found-fabrics, vintage, thrifted fabrics—to imagine this item as something fun or funny to wear, not at all associated with war. If worn in battle, this garment would be useless. A lot of the time, the way I work is how I am inspired in the moment.

Then I add embellishments, to be silly and funny. A big part of my work is to make me laugh.”

When his mother became ill a few years ago, Malson returned to Georgia to care for her. Back in Savannah he began considering his mother’s life, her examples and all she taught him. She was his first art teacher.

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“My mom inspired me to be an artist, she taught me how to draw. And she wanted to be an artist, too,” reflected Malson. “But my mom never realized her potential because of where and when she grew up. In her lifetime she was very much constrained by roles of gender and their expectations. And that’s something I also want to explore in this exhibit, how in the greater art world, textiles and fiber art often aren’t taken seriously as fine art. Is it because fibers and fashion is considered commerce not art, or that sewing and clothing are traditionally viewed as “women’s work?” If so, why is that? And why is that consistently interpreted as less than? Through this exhibit I want to show that fiber art is academic and high art, regardless of gender.”

Though Malson’s garments are on display-only for the duration of the show, the artist has created a series of re-purposed t-shirts available for purchase during the reception. He’s taken traditionally masculine sports, fishing and military t-shirts and re-envisioned them through screen-printing, bleaching, hand-painting and adding embellishments.

“I’m using these found shirts and rendering them as ridiculous and completely wearable,” chuckled Malson. “I’ve dyed them a range of pastel colors and painted floral patterns and printed some of my mom’s cat paintings on them. They are really fun for everyone that buys one. At the reception, people can expect beautifully constructed garments that make them laugh and that can be appreciated and examined on an academic level.”

IF YOU GO

What: Garment Werk

Where: First City Pride Center

When: Artist Reception, Friday from 6-9 p.m.; Exhibit running April 7 through May 5

Cost: Free

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah GA art galleries: Garment Werk at First City Pride Center