Artists' statements on caps

fig.: Lina Al Amoudi (United Arab Emirates; studied Visual Communication) is the winner of the New Era Introducing 2011 contest. She gives an insight into her heritage by using her knowledge of handcrafted traditional art. The artist's cap-sculpture tells the story of Queen of Sheba, who combines femininity of a mother and divine wisdom. As the story of Queen of Sheba, she was the leader of the Sabaean Kingdom, is chronicled in religious books, Lina Al Amoudi has chosen Islamic floral patterns and calligraphy for her sculpture. The bird you can see left on the cap, symbolizes the messenger-bird "...that told King Solomon about the Queen." More about Lina Al Amoudi's cap-sculpture on neweraintroducing.com. Photo: Chris Linton.

'New Era Introducing' is the fashion/art project by the label New Era (founded 1920 by the German Erhardt Koch in Buffalo, New York; known for its sports heritage, especially for delivering the official on-field cap for Major League Baseball) and more than 100 artists from UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden, UAE, South Africa, who have worked with the New Era 59FIFTY Cap and made their thoughts, their own awareness of our world visible on sportive headwear.

Lina Al Amoudi (UAE) introduces with her creation into the Arabic culture (image on this page), Pol (ES) references with a typewriter the process of forming an idea, Natalie Osowski (DE) makes her interest in unusual materials and changing contexts visible, Francesco Nappa's (IT) birdcage is a statement about "the dignity inherent to all members of the human family, and their equal rights to freedom, justice and peace in the world", and Target (FR, grown up in the Carribean) is inspired by the cultures of US, Jamaica and the arts from the streets around him and reflects his impressions in urban art style onto the cap.

Now, 'New Era Introducing' is with 80 caps on exhibition tour which stops in each country where the artists come from: after London and Berlin, they will arrive on 18 November 2011 in Milan, where on two days (18 + 19 Nov) the art-caps will be presented.

The next stops are Barcelona 25 - 26 November, Paris 2 - 3 December, Stockholm 16 - 17 December 2011, Kapstadt 3 - 4 February 2012, Dubai 9 - 10 March 2012. Details and gallery of all submitted caps - not only the selected ones for the traveling exhibition, with videos and images on neweraintroducing.com.


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