Ivan Civic on May 1st 2013 in pirate hat

Labor day… the traditional little 24 Hours in which the hard worker gets to believe for a nanosecond that anybody/the system gives a shit about him/her. I never really understood labor day. What are we the people that work our asses off supposed to do on this day? Celebrate our rights? Celebrate our jobs? Celebrate that we got one day off? Use this day to start a revolution that will end less than 24 Hours after it begins? What a loss of time!

Labor day in Berlin is mostly just a sick manifestation of discontent and brutal animal instincts. Most poeple do not know how to control themselves, do not know how to behave, do not know how to be civilzed and most importantly do not know the meaning of the word compassion. You do NOT start a revolution by burning cars and McDonalds’ signs you morons! A true revolution, in my humble opinion, is the one that is silent… intimate… human…

Everybody just stay silent, walk in masses if you need to… but do not say a word… stop driving all cars, stop all noise… do not shed a word… walk in piece towards all the capitalistic playgrounds (factories and so on) and surround them in and with silence, in prayer for all those people, our brothers and sisters, that have come and passed before us. For those that have died willingly and unwillingly for us. Respect them with your silence. Respect their passing for us with your silence. Out of that silence a new strength will grow and a new light will shine brighter than any sun. Be the pirate of  hope! Your actions might just start a real revolution, the most effective kind of revolution…

Ph.© Ivan Civic

The concept was to cut it with the ridiculous Berlin fashion week that only brings mostly untalented creations to the light of day, as well as uninspired designers. In fact, the so called Berlin fashion week has been cut from a real “week” to a mere four to five days…

Yohji is a respected and highly coveted designer. Him representing his special retrospective fashion show in the St. Agnes church in Berlin, during the art week instead of the fashion week is a very clear statement and needs not commenting. The organisation managed by Felix Doll was perfect! My problem were, yet again, most of the people at the show.

Let me explain: I tested wearing Yamamoto from neck to toe… by this I mean that only the head was not adorned by Yohji’s fashion. A statement to clash the rest of the austere outfit I thought… a clash of styles that reflects Berlin I thought… a funny divertissement all Yamamoto fan’s from Berlin would understand I thought…

Indeed my hat was from Vivienne Westwood’s “World’s end”. A giant Bowler typical to Westwood’s style and produced since several decades as one of her clue fashions. I had several people come up to me that evening at the Yohji show complimenting my Yohji Yamamoto hat (seriously!)… and this coming from all the people claiming to be big Yamamoto fans! Berlin is still light years away from Paris, Milan, New York and London… and this of course includes fashion as well as art weeks! You gotta step it up Berlin! Step it up cuz if you wanna play superficial fashion world, thats fine, but get the superficial facts straight!

Photos © by Ivan Civic, Patrick J. Thomas and Anja Laube

ivan civic and the cookie monster at the berlin film museum 20.04.2013

As I entered the SESAME STREET exhibition at the film museum in Berlin, I couldn’t help noticing the tingling feeling of excitement in my belly. I was thrilled to see those sculpture masterpieces called the Muppets, behind protective glass vitrines, live in front of me! Then it dawned on me, this is how I should and want to feel whenever I go to see any art exhibition in a museum or a gallery. Here lies the problem: I haven’t felt that excitement in many many years… the art I crave for has died long ago.

All we have left is cheap interpretation and blurry muddy reflection of what art once was. Galleries are filled with crap they so pretentiously would like to sell to their naive new rich Russian customers (the “art” collectors of today)… curators suck up to any art dealer, gallery or museum to get a shot at a quick buck. Gallerists are not doing their job at promoting good art and good artists but are rather just parassitically sucking on anything they consider to be either up and coming or already almost arrived art. Art critics are out there justifying their pathetic excuse of an existance in the art market by judging to appeal rather than following their heart. Everybody wants to steal cookie monster’s cookie… but that cookie is long gone, substituted by a fake!

Because you see, I believe that good art is felt with the heart rather than dissected by an “art” dealer’s desire to fill their dirty pockets. Art should not be associated with a market of any sorts! Unfortunately that is all that is left of art today: art equals terminally ill economy… many apartments for sale but the prices inflated artificially… no quality… just an air balloon that is way way way overdue to finally pop! I can’t wait for the balloon, full of sick, to explode! Art today is almost like the Muppet puppets: it awaits the right skillfull hands to fill it and move it in the right direction, giving it a new fresh life, credibility and above all: LOVE! Till then I enjoy the Muppets and the love their makers put into creating and handeling them, as parents would with children they love…

Ph.© Ivan Civic and Patrick J. Thomas, 2013

I went to the opening of the exhibition: “STARKER AUFTRITT!” at the Grassi museum in Leipzig on March 27th 2013. I was there to see all the amazing shoes the two lovely curators Liza Snook, founder of the virtual shoe museum and Sabine Epple put together.

Hundreds of the most fascinating shoes ever made were protected inside thick elegant glass vitrines as if diamond tiaras were on display. That is exactly what I demanded for the Jeremy Scott x adidas poodle when I was asked by the curators to lend it to them from my private collection. They really delivered a great show and gave the poodles a worthy place in shoe design history!

Bare in mind that of all the shoes that were in the exhibit, only maybe seven sneakers were present, of which only one original adidas sneaker and they chose Jeremy to represent the brand. So it is a great honour! Just so you understand my point, check out some more models present in the exhibition after the jump! The exhibition will be running through till the end of september 2013 and is more then worthy of a visit!

Ph. © Ivan Civic and Patrick J. Thomas

CIVIC space direction for NO74 Berlin for HAW_LIN X IGNANT X NO74 event

I just did the spatial concept and installation of No74 in Berlin for the launch of the new collaboration between HAW-LIN, IGNANT and NO74. Hope you like it! It was a lot of fun! The HAW-LIN boys were a thrill to work with! Really sweet guys!

The first idea was to present the white t-shirts and bandanas in the front corner of the store but as I love multiplying visuals to add texture and importance to the product, I decided to expand the direction and ended up occupying almost four times the space initially planned. I believe in the multiplication factor! It benefits the product immensly wether it be a car, a chewing gum, the next Pulitzer prize book, an art piece or a t-shirt and bandana! XXX

Ph.© Ivan Civic

Ivan Civic in pink. Photo © Ivan Civic 2013

Shifts and changes. Test shoot made for new video which is coming up soon…

Ph. © Ivan Civic

IVAN CIVIC westwood mountainhat ph ivan civic copyright 2013

CIVIC in RED, performed in a secluded mansion outside Berlin! Prepping for the conclave… cardinal red and loads of meditation! With the help of Vivienne Westwoods red mountain hat and vintage wool red VERSUS pullover!

Ph. © Ivan Civic

IVAN CIVIC westwood mountainhat ph ivan civic copyright 2013

IVAN CIVIC westwood mountainhat ph ivan civic copyright 2013

Ivan Civic by Niz Denox

CIVIC by DENOX! The nail-polish… CHANEL! The lipstick on the ear… DISCLOSED!

Photo by Niz Denox

Ivan Civic in bernhard willhelm ss09 Ph. by Sandra Gallardo Perez

In Bernhard Willhelm’s men spring/summer 2009… renaissance…

Ph. by Sandra Gallardo Perez

I have contributed to an upcoming exhibition by borrowing sneakers and photos from my private performance collection. This time its a pair of pink Jeremy Scott Poodles, model number Q23499, from the adidas ObyO ss13 collection. The exhibition is entitled: “STARKER AUFTRITT!” (experimentelles Schuh-design) and will take place from 28.03. – 29.09.2013 in the GRASSI Museum für angewandte Kunst (Leipzig, Germany) in collaboration with the Virtual Shoe Museum from Holland. We are hoping there wil be a catalogue too. As a teaser, here the link to my photo and poodle shoe on the Virtual shoe Museum. Hope to see many of you at the opening in March!

All photos in this post are copyright of Ivan Civic. Any copying and reproduction without Ivan Civic’s prior consent is prohibited.