High art

Young Chang

Finally, an art show for people who aren’t really looking for one.

The current exhibit at Emporio Armani at South Coast Plaza is perfect

for the museum visitor who hangs out more at the gift shop than in the

gallery.

It’s welcoming for those without an art history degree and accessible

for shoppers looking more for something from Armani’s Spring line than a

work of fine art.

Part of a traveling photography exhibit, “Perspectives” features

artists Michael Jensen, Michele Asselin and Matthew Tischler. Emporio

Armani teamed with Gen Art, a national nonprofit arts group supporting

emerging artists, to create the show and to emphasize a shared line

between high fashion and fine art.

“Art inspires fashion and fashion inspires art,” said Adam Walden,

managing director of Gen Art. “I think fashion designers are first and

foremost artists, and I think there’s a strong link.”

The pieces fit Armani’s professional, sleek and clean image, Walden

said.

Jensen agreed, adding that the fashion world may be aligning

themselves with artists because clothes can be works of art, too.

“When you buy a nice piece of clothing, it’s something that you want

to keep,” the New York multimedia artist said. “It’s something that you

take pride in, because you’re buying something that’s more than just

covering yourself on a commercial level.”

Jensen’s contribution to the show includes five pieces of

nonfigurative, how shall we say this . . . photographs that are more than

photographs. Some of his works might resemble paintings, but he says

they’re more than that.

Jensen uses photos, steel, aluminum, resin, lacquer and pigment to

create what closely resembles a painting with a photo in it.

“As a multimedia artist, I think that we live in an age that’s much

more complex than the academic context. In art school you’re taught to be

this or that. It’s very specific,” he said. “I go outside the area of

specificity to create an image that’s engaging.”

The first piece is titled “Steel Blossom” -- a photo of a plum blossom

laid out on stainless steel. “Rocky Slope” shows a mountain side. “Black

Pine” depicts a blue sky and a pine tree. “Silver Path” is what Jensen

describes as “wilderness abstracted,” and “Trunks with Blue” shows tree

trunks with a blue sky behind it.

“I think why [Gen Art] chose my work is [because] I’m dealing with

something that’s beyond pop culture, and I think fashion and art are

trying to situate themselves in a world of creativity that’s much more

important than pop culture,” he said.

Asselin, whose show pieces are abstracted, colorful street scenes,

said Armani tries to see a world that is “sort of simple and interesting

and forward and edgy,” which explains why “Perspectives” is a natural fit

for the store.

The photographer’s experience includes working on assignment in the

Middle East for the Associated Press. For Asselin, both her abstract and

straightforward works revolve around documenting what she sees.

“While photojournalism is a much more objective view into the world

and what’s going on,” she said, “this is also a way of looking at the

world and what’s going on.”

FYI

WHAT: “Perspectives”

WHEN: Through Monday. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and

Monday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

WHERE: Emporio Armani at South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bear St., Costa Mesa

COST: Free

CALL: (714) 754-1200