during miami art week, vanessa beecroft interprets kappa 'omini' logo

kappa celebrates its 50th anniversary during miami art week 2019 with a large-scale conceptual performance art at the city’s lot 11 public skate park. curated by british author and art curator neville wakefield, the performance was led by the italian performance artist vanessa beecroft to present a new interpretation of the italian sportswear and lifestyle brand’s iconic ‘omini’ logo through 50 different iterations. the performance art included over 100 street-casted individuals of all ethnicities and sizes.

all images by vanessa beecroft

‘crosshatching minimalism, performance art, film and fashion, vanessa’s durational performances have always stood out as a form of live portraiture,’ tells neville wakefield. ‘by animating the iconic kappa logo, she invites us to explore not just the ever evolving relationship between the individuals – here represented by the omini couple – but also that of a brand to the world at large.’

for the first time in her career, vanessa beecroft staged a live performance featuring both sexes during miami art week. dressed in neutral tones, the models were asked to pair up to resemble the kappa logo, sitting back to back. a total of 50 couples were formed, spaced across evenly throughout the floor plan of the urban skate park.

inspired by zabriskie point, a non-conformist work and cult film by italian director michelangelo antonioni, beecroft and her choreography team created patterns and routines for the models to follow. ‘my work has never before presented a physical interaction between a man and a woman.’ comments vanessa beecroft. ‘my perception of the relationship between two individuals has been nonexistent, influenced by my biography (a matriarchal family where no father nor brother were included) and by films such as antonioni’s la notte (1961) and l’eclisse (1962). in these films, there is a lost communication between the two parties and we are left with an open ending. while my work is still self-referential, based on a study of the female form, and position in the physical and spiritual worlds, this performance is an opportunity for me to explore an interaction and new interpretation of a couple today.’

initially shot during an unprepared swimwear shoot back in 1969, the silhouette photograph that later became kappa’s iconic logo was picked out by maurizio vitale. to rebrand his family’s sock and underwear manufacturing business, vitale took interest in the photograph of two naked individuals sitting back from each other. today, the logo also known as the omini logo is recognizable worldwide on kappa’s classic sportswear capsules such as the tracksuit and sports jerseys.