And the good news is, while it may be closed, for now, once reopened the show at the Museum Rijswijk by the Hague will be on until April 5th, 2021 giving many more the opportunity to see the leading artist’s work in real life. We only wish we could go.

Watching on from our many denim friends in Holland online it was fantastic to get a taste of the show. And of course, from Ian Berry’s own Instagram account.

The show built on the successful 2016 exhibition Behind Closed Doors  as with the pandemic Ian Berry’s work took on a new life. For years Ian Berry had portrayed isolation whether in scenes of solitude in a bar or lonely scenes in a launderette but it was Behind Closed Doors, showing scenes of melancholy within the home, that took a new context this year. Of course, the term Behind Closed Doors became a part of everyday language. 

Ian Berry works from his own photos and ideas and had a week booked of photoshoots in well-known people’s homes . However these were all cancelled due to lockdown. He quickly started Stay Behind Closed Doors where he asked his photographer friends to take some pictures in their isolation. They ended up coming in from famous photographers and amateurs alike, including my own! Many of these were shown – lasered in denim as a backdrop with then 16 shown printed. Many more then revolving on a screen – making a fine introduction to Splendid Isolation. 

With famous installations like the Record Store, Launderette and Secret Garden, it was fitting that the highlight of this show was Ian Berry remaking his living room from lockdown all in denim, including denim chesterfield, records, books and plants. It even went into his bedroom including a beautiful bedspread by Bridge and Tunnel and two pieces of a sleeping lady. Mirrored opposite in the Main Hall it was created in 2D also, but of course most of the work isn’t two dimensional – if you have ever seen his work you will know it is layers and layers of denim used to create amazingly textured pieces. 

In the room , famed Behind Closed Doors was next to a new piece, Con’s Hall, made during lock down and really conveying many of our lives this year. When leaving the main hall you see First Sun, first made in 2012 but like many of the textile artist‘s work it has taken on a new life this year –  with lockdown in the UK many of the parks ended up being full. The scene portraying the rush to get to the first of London’s spring sun and struggling to find a blade of grass amongst the families, friends and backpackers all taking their picnics and BBQ’s. 

A favourite piece of many of Ian Berry’s work is the Secret Garden – we first reported on it in the first Secret Garden in New York. There has been several since, but this seems to be spectacular hanging down from the roof of the Museum Rijswijk. Instagram was filled with people posing for pictures within it. 

The show was sponsored by those who have supported Ian for many years. Pepe Jeans London was the headline sponsor; they have been buying at least a piece per exhibition of Ian Berry’s solo exhibitions since 2013 and have also been supplying him with jeans to work with. Ian Berry made an installation of a CCTV control room for Pepe Jeans London‘s flagship Regent Street store in 2017. 

Fellow denim names like long-term collaborators Cone Denim, Tonello, and Tencel also joined which helped bring out a special catalogue of the show with Dutch Publisher Jap Sam Books. And of course, while it is a lot about denim, Ian Berry’s other main item he uses is scissors and specialist Famore backed the show too. Tonello and Cone Denim once again joined forces with him to produce a new Secret Garden and it is great to see the British Artist getting so much support from the industry. We had reported on how Tonello and Cone had helped him with his permanent Secret Garden in San Francisco. 

For those saddened by not being able to see the show in the Netherlands, there’s talk of another show opening in the Spring in another European City, ‘let’s see what Covid decides’ Ian Berry says! After that the next major show will be in the Fall at Textil Museet – the National Textile Museum of Sweden. The success of Ian Berry in the art world makes many of us happy that he takes our material and turns it to art. 

Ian Berry has been working with jeans for over 15 years and is the industry’s highest regarded artist who pushed it as an art form. Those who managed to see the exhibition at the Museum Rijswijk saw the details and level of craftmanship that can be missed when viewing online. They were not only wowed by his technique but also the feeling the work conveyed, that draws you in. The work, the majority already sold, spanned the last ten years of his career and explored much of his journey with denim as a medium. 

But it’s not all about denim. It’s just his paint, his way of showing the world ‘and what better medium to use than the material of our time; Jeans’ And of course this year he pushed out of using just denim, with projections managing to spread his work around the world with I Clap For with his son Elliott. The iclapfor campaign grew and grew with projections covering almost every Town and city in the UK and Ireland, as well as going around the globe, giving thanks and appreciation to many out there supporting us.

The Museum Rijswijk show covers this period of Ian Berry’s year and includes a projection within his living room scene, one of the first Ian Berry did in Poplar, London, where he lives with Canary Wharf in the background. The British born artist also collaborated with fellow Brit, Jenny Beavan OBE, the famed Costume Designer with two Academy Awards to her name. Working with Blackhorse Lane they made a denim jacket pinned with all the different care workers’ names in #icalpfor along with the pin badges of Pin Your Thanks – the project that Ian joined along with Ringo Starr, Kiera Knightley, and Emilie Sande. The jacket could be seen with an installation of the #Iclapfor Lenticular print. These all can be bought in the Museum Shop, along with at www.ianberry.art

The show is due to reopen on the 19^th of January and we advise all those who can, to see this show before it closes on the 5^th Aril 2021 at the Museum Rijswijk. You can find tickets here. And, if you want to hear his perspective on our denim industry, check out his talk with Sandeep Agarwal at our Spotify below :

Ian Berry , in turn , celebrates 15 years of working with the material and garments made so popular by the man who emigrated the German town in 1847.

From Sunday (September 13^th) until November 8th the exhibition examines the years of artist Ian Berry’s work crafted out of only blue jeans and will show amongst the memories of Levi Strauss who is immortalised in the dedicated museum in the house he was born in. 

For any denim lover, it is worth a visit to the home of Levi Strauss to see his fascinating life and materials but to see it with the famed artists’ work is an extra treat.

Levi Strauss was born in 1829 in Buttenheim, the town in the district of Bamberg. In 1847 , he would emigrate to the USA – finally settling in San Francisco and hitting gold with his patented pants with the development alongwith Jacob Davis.

The museum opened in September 2000. With the biography of Levi Strauss, visitors can gain an insight into the lives of the rural Franconian Jewish Community, the world of the immigrants, the beginnings of the textile industry, and of course, all about our favorite material – jeans. 

Levi Strauss house is one of only a few preserved objects from his life and one of the oldest houses in Buttenheim . The district council bought it in 1987 and today is classified as a historical monument. A wide scale renovation of the dilapidated half-timbered house was done to bring it to as true to the original as possible. Imagine Levi walking around!

When the Museum first opened back in 2000, hardly anyone anticipated its rapid success. Nevertheless, both Museum guests and professionals have seen the Levi Strauss Museum become a popular success. Every year, thousands of people visit Buttenheim from all over the world in order to experience the Museum and see where it all began. 

This will kick off two years of museum shows for the Yorkshire born artist. Many works will be on display including from the Behind Closed Doors and Hotel California collections that will move on to Holland, to the Museum Rijswijk in November and the National Textile Museum of Sweden (Textil Museet) 

During the Covid period his work took on a new life, having spent years portraying isolation. His Behind Closed Doors body of work became life for many of us . He had painstakingly crafted beautiful homes out of only denim but with a haunting scene of loneliness.

It will be Berry’s first showing of his work in Germany and he will be there to meet the guests at the opening that will , of course , be under social distancing rules. There will be a projection of his famed #iclapfor project.

‘When Dr Tanja Roppelt , the curator , got in touch with me a couple of years ago it made sense – the old romantic in me loved the idea of the work showing in the birthplace (of Levi Strauss) . I love the history of denim, especially that of Jacob Davis and Levi and the Rivet.’ – Ian Berry

All of Ian’s plans for the year were shattered with COVID. As he works from photography all the shoots were cancelled in the first week of lockdown so he has had to change his direction for the year. Many people sent him photos of their home isolation and this saw the birth of the Stay Behind Closed Doors project, I myself contributed and you can see in the latest Sportswear International. 

Then, along with his son Elliott, 6, he made the two applauding hands. Clapping for the health heroes had been a big part of British life for the first ten weeks of the Covid period. 

Ian’s son was particularly captivated and it enabled Ian to explain more what was going on while he was engaged. What started as a personal project between father and son, ended up being beamed all over the world via projections. It covers the whole of the UK and Ireland and was seen as far as Australia, Colombia, Mexico City and Brazil amongst many others. He was raising money for the NHS and Doctors Without Borders and got fine donations from Cone Denim , Tricia Carey at Lenzing. It became the #iclapfor campaign and a short documentary film will be shown at the museum.

Ian, originally from Huddersfield , lives and works in East London amongst thousands of pairs of jeans that he recycles to create almost photorealistic pieces and installations. He has been named a top 30 artist under 30 in the world and now he will show at a historical home of one of the materials of our time.

We wish the Museum every success into the future. 

Details 

13 Sept – 8 November 2020

Levi Strauss Museum Marktstr. 31-33 96155 Buttenheim 

Advt:
Denimsandjeans is happy to announce the 2nd edition of its virtual show to be held on Oct 14-15 bringing to together global denim supply chain companies at one platform again .
To visit, please register at: https://virtual.denimsandjeans.com/vi…

Join in with the special denim apps and gifs to show our support for those we clap for

I clap for…

From UK to India to Italy, communities applauded in a somewhat simple gesture, but powerful and often emotional combined – to support those helping us through Covid 19. They are now being beamed on buildings around the world thanks to our friend and artist Ian Berry.

It’s now been seen in dozens of Towns and Cities in the UK – and as far away as Colombia , Braziland Mexico City. This week they have double downed with many cities lighting up per night.There’s no photoshop here but truly on iconic buildings like Edinburgh Castle, Durham Cathedral and the Angel of the North.

Ian Berry, had made two pieces of art combined to make an animation showing the clapping motion. Ian is of course known worldwide for his art in denim and it is with this material in which he made them, fitting a health care blue. In New York they clap every night. Can we get more clapping around and in the denim community?

The pieces of art animated are now showing up on cities all over the world, from Newcastle to New Orleans. They are also lighting up the length and breadth of the UK, from John o’ Groats on the northern tip of Britain to Portsmouth in the South, with a series of networks of projectionists. This week it will be in some very impressive locations.

The batman like beam has also been spotted in East London where Ian now lives and works from his studio. He was moved by the clapping, at 8pm on Thursdays in the UK weekly event. His son couldn’t wait for Thursdays to come ‘is it Thursday yet?’and preparing for it.

It was his son Elliott, 6, who took the photo of his hands as he was being home schooled. Ian sent it on as like a greeting card to say thank to some of his friends in the health service, many who had been sick. While watching a film on a projector it was Elliott that said, can we put the clapping on there? Soon they were beaming it off the balcony and an idea was born.

It’s now on electric billboards and being captured by drones in Sweden, opening the Autocinema Coyote in Mexico City and playing in Greensboro, North Carolina, aka ‘Jeansboro’, and Medellin in Colombia famed for Narcos and Sao Paolo Brazil.

Ian asks the question, who do you clap for? Using the hashtag#iclapfor . Ian wants people to highlight their friends, family or organisations they clap for. There’s already been hundreds of reactions to the question, and some will get beamed on future projections to give thanks to those we clap for. Within the next week there will be some surprises so be sure to follow @ianberry.art if you don’t already

Online there are special gifs and AV filters of the Clapping Hands for you to be able to use (type in iclapfor) and share as we say who we clap for. Ian is now asking if other artists and creators would like to have their work projected as well as if anyone would like to join in with their own projectors, you can find out more at www.iclapfor.com

Extra and quotes.

‘Of course the streets are pretty empty so it’s good to get some somewhere where people can see from home or frontline workers can see as they go past. Telling my son what the clapping was for and explaining individuals like his auntie who is on the corona team in Lund Hospital in Sweden and him having his new heroes. I hope they grow up to remember that.’

Ian adds ‘While clapping is a nice gesture, and has brought many communities together, it is noted they need money and support. Well, let’s use this platform to try and raise some money for the charity and a platform for good, like making the projections into projected art galleries.’

He along with some friends launched the website www.iclapfor.com where people will be able to leave messages for who they clap for as well as fund raising initiatives.

Later in the year Ian will show at the Levis Museum in Germany, Museum Rijswijk, Holland before next Spring showing at the Huddersfield Art Gallery. Part of the show will look at this period – fitting as many of Ian’s work have depicted isolation. People have been invited to submit their isolation pictures and many will be curated to show as photographs in the Museums – along with some in denim.

Ian Berry

Ian Berry is known around the world for his work making layered and textured pieces out of only denim jeans. He was named a top 30 artist under 30 in the world and also named a top 50 most influential person in denim last year, with Hailey Bieber and the Hadid sisters! He has shown his work around the world in Galleries, museums and Art fairs. He will soon unveil an installation in San Francisco which was postponed for the corona virus.

His work is much more than being made in denim, often depicted scenes of isolation, becoming even more topical in these times. He also looks at the changing fabric of our urban environment, making scenes of vanishing places like launderettes, pubs, and newsstands.

He is also known for doing official portraits of Armani, Debbie Harry and Ayrton Senna out of his family members jeans.

Ian has a busy schedule coming up with museum coming up at the Levi’s Museum, Germany, Museum Rijswijk in Holland, in Basel along with Huddersfield Art Gallery and the National Textile Museum of Sweden.

For more information on his art and activities, you can contact him at

mail@ianberry.art

‘When I started I always wanted to point out it was denim, now I hide that it is denim and see that as a challenge.’ Ian said. In fact after years of covering his work, you see it is a challenge in each show, how light hits a metallic shiny launderette washing machine, a polished bar top, or the inside of a subway.

We wrote about his Behind Closed Door work (https://www.denimsandjeans.com/events/behind-closed-doors-by-ian-berry/23754) and again, it was light in interiors that created his moods, impressing with the tiles on the floor and how the light effected it, just out of denim. That show was quite dark and Ian has transformed this new work to reflect bright Californian light with the hotels and pools of the state which made denim the state’s official fabric! The show was such a success that they put on another event to mark it and Ian’s long relationship with the gallery. It was also in aid of British charity Jeans for Genes – that supports families with Genetic Disorders. The charity is famed for an event in September – Jeans for Genes day, where schools and workplace allow people to wear our favorite material, jeans in return for a donation. The event raised money for the charity.

The charity also sells shirts, this year working with Batman for a special shirt. Ian is one of their ambassadors and modelled the shirt for the charity. The Batman version with Warner Brothers is proving popular with children. Ian will do further work with the charity. Not only that, but Ian collaborated with Kongsgaard Raw Gin to make a special denim edition. The Danish Gin makers are famed for their use of apples and also their sustainability – the only Gin brand to plant a whole forest and will be soon carbon neutral! The Gin is hand crafted so Ian made an edition of ten hand crafted labels – all the letters cut by hand, another ten with Raw denim – the ‘Raw Limited Edition’ that Tonello helped to laser. And then a further five that were one off originals and made to reflect different pieces of work in Ian’s exhibition – like his Hotel California record store, the secret Garden (that hung in the gallery window, again with the support of Tonello) and one to reflect a pool.

The week before the show opened Ian was in Barcelona with Tonello where he collaborated with his friends there who had been showing with ITMA, their most important event. To celebrate they had a ‘Inspiring’ night where Ian, Tonello and his friend Juan Manual, along with Oficina +39 joined forces to make a new version of the hanging trellis that hung in New York – lit with a mood and a beautiful film of the making of that set a beautiful ambience for the evening.

Ian Berry who has worked with Selfridges this year and it is proving to be a great year for him and we look forward to what is to come, All the best Ian!

1) Beauty of Hell Jacket and Xandt :

Two Pocket Style with Button Closure having Hand Drawn Image and Distressed Detailing. 100% cotton .

2) Passage of Time Jacket :

Four Pocket Style with Button Closure having Hand Drawn Image and Distressed Detailing. 100% Cotton ..

3) Polyxenia Denim Jacket :

Crop Style with Extended Sleeve and having Two Pocket Style with Button Closure. With Hand Drawn Image and Distressed Detailing, this 100 % cotton.

4)Achilles Denim Jacket :

Four Pocket Style with Button Closure having Hand Drawn Image and Distressed Detailing. 100% cotton and it is available in Yellow Wash.

4)Native Denim Jacket:

Four Pocket Style with Button Closure having Hand Drawn Image and Distressed Detailing . 100 % cotton .

5)David Denim Jacket :

One Pocket Style with Button Closure having Hand Drawn Image and Distressed Detailing. 100% cotton.

The early summers going to be a great opportunity for sourcing and meeting all the global denim experts under one roof . Please block the dates of our Bangladesh & Vietnam Edition . The Bangladesh Edition will held on March 1-2 and The Vietnam Edition will be on June 7-8 . To get the invites , please register here.