Das schwarze Wasser is an installation, a performance, a painting, and the title of the solo exhibition at MEGA Contemporary in April 2025. The concept of the entire exhibition is based on the intention to dissolve the boundaries between high fashion and contemporary art forms. The black water basin distorts classical painting into the space through its movement, subtly reflecting the medium of painting itself. Painting becomes a space in many ways, breaking away from its traditional spatial concept through the distortion of water, as models passed through it, using it as a runway in a performative act of art. The masks they wore reflected the water—and even the paintings themselves. This mutual reflection of mediums raises the question of the art form itself.

 

Inspired by Balenciaga’s Face Shield - an accessory first presented during the Fall/Winter 2022 collection in Paris - I developed the Avantgarde Mask, an object that shares the same characteristics as Balenciaga’s mask. A fully black mask, seemingly made of dark glass, it gains its function through its details. It embodies an identity that is hidden from view - just like in today’s society. No one seems truly close to anyone else. This mask creates a completely private space: from the outside, it appears like a dark mirror. No one can see personality, vulnerability, or thought - yet the wearer of the mask sees everything.

 

As an interface with conceptual art, the mask embodies a deeper level of meaning. For me, high fashion is more than mere capitalism - it becomes a medium of critical reflection. The black water, in a way, shares the same material quality as the mask -  black, inscrutable body that reflects painting into the physical space and presents it in a distorted form. The dimensions of the installation were designed to serve its function as a runway, which simultaneously acted as a performance space within the exhibition. The masks lying in the water were worn by models who walked through the black water and placed them on the runway.