The battle against COVID-19 seems to a long one without no end in sight. While face masks are now an everyday necessity, a group of artists have transformed them into something cool and stylish.
K11 has recently partnered with The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles to present limited-production MOCA Masks in the Asia Pacific. MOCA Masks features nine designs by globally celebrated artists including Andy Warhol, Mark Grotjahn, Virgil Abloh and Yoko Ono. The masks are now available for pre-order at K11 eshop with a price tag of HK$320 each. They are also available at MOCA’s online store, priced at US$28 each.
Virgil Abloh｜Still Speaks Loudly
Virgil Abloh is an artist, architect, engineer, creative director, and fashion designer. After graduating from university, Abloh met rapper Kayne West during his internship at Fendi in 2009 and the two began a collaborative relationship. Virgil Abloh quickly rose to prominence in the fashion industry.
In 2013, he founded the high-end streetwear brand Off-White, which became a mainstream success worldwide. The brand has gained widespread attention in Paris, China, Japan and the United States. His design products are highly covetable among celebrities and fashionistas.
In 2018, Abloh was named artistic director of Louis Vuitton's menswear ready wear line, marking him the first person of African descent to lead the brand's menswear line. He also was listed as one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world that year.
Virgil Abloh is not only an accomplished fashion designer but also a famous artist. He is best known for his collaboration with Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami. He is also one of the artists represented by Kaikai Kiki Gallery, an art production company owned by Murakami.
Andy Warhol｜Flowers
Andy Warhol’s Flowers has stood as an everlasting image of twentieth-century art.
Flowers embodies one of Andy Warhol’s most iconic bodies of work. Warhol’s Flowers have infiltrated popular culture as a touchstone of classic American Pop. Flowers’ source material is a photograph of hibiscus blossoms from the June 1964 issue of Modern Photography magazine. Warhol took artistic liberty with this photograph, isolating just four of the original seven flowers in a tighter composition, which he then transferred onto acetate and polarized the tonal range in order to increase sharpness and clarity.
The motif featured on the mask comes from Andy Warhol’s Flowers in the collection of MOCA. The original artwork is a square painting measuring 24 x 24 inch.
Flowers’ source material is a photograph of hibiscus blossoms
Andy Warhol’s Flowers in the collection of MOCA
Yoko Ono｜A Piece of Sky
John Lennon once dubbed Yoko Ono “the world's most famous unknown artist: everybody knows her name, but nobody knows what she does”.
Most people probably remember Yoko Ono as John Lennon’s wife. In fact, she is also an influential Japanese artist. She is a multi-media artist working in performance, instruction, film, installation, sculpture, music, and writing.
A forerunner in conceptual art involving collaboration, audience participation, and social activism since the early 1960s, Ono challenges viewers’ understanding of art and the world around them. Her influence spans many of the key artistic movements of the late 20th century including Fluxus, conceptual art, video art, and feminism. In addition to her work as a visual artist, Ono is also a musical pioneer, both an accomplished singer and songwriter.
Mark Grotjahn｜Untitled (Creamsicle Covid 19)
American abstract painter Mark Grotjahn is widely known for his celebrated series of Butterfly paintings, combining graphic representation, geometric abstraction and illusionistic space in a mesmerizing and enigmatic visual phenomenon.
The central vertical strip delineates the butterfly’s ‘spine’, from which two spectrums of radial vectors cascade outwards to establish the dynamic trajectories of its ‘wings’. At the centre, two slightly off-kilter vanishing points mark the butterfly’s ‘abdomen’, while the emanating terrains of concentrated linear brushwork launch shifting spatial illusions of infinitely subtle tonal gradations.
Several paintings from his Butterfly series now resides in the collections of MOCA, MoMA and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.
In May 2017, Grotjahn’s Untitled (S III Released to France Face 43.14) was sold at Christie’s New York for US$16.76m, setting an auction record for the artist.
Grotjahn’s Untitled (White Butterfly) in the MOCA collection
Barbara Kruger｜Untitled (Better Safe Than Sorry)
Catherine Opie｜Bo from Being and Having (detail)
Pipilotti Rist｜Smart Yuji
Alex Israel｜Mask for MOCA
Hank Willis Thomas｜Life, Handle with Care
All masks are crafted in Los Angeles and vary in fabric depending on the design, including 100% Cotton, Cotton Blends (98% Cotton, 2% Elastane), or 100% Polyester Micro-Fiber. Please note that #MOCAmasks are for decorative use only.
The mask shape is meant to fit a wide range of faces comfortably and securely, including children over 10 years old. Masks can be adjusted based on construction and are made with two layers of fabric, featuring a pocket on the inside with open sides for the option of individual filter insertion.