Edgar Alvarez Barajas

Style

A first look at Virgil Abloh's ICA Boston art exhibit and pop-up shop

"Figures of Speech" and "Church & State" come to the Institute of Contemporary Art July 3 through September 26.

Virgil Abloh Figures of Speech exhibition Church & State pop-up shop ICA Boston
Edgar Alvarez Barajas / Input

After being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Virgil Abloh — the Off-White founder, Louis Vuitton menswear artistic director, and Nike collaborator — is finally set to open his “Figures of Speech” exhibition and accompanying “Church & State” pop-up store at the The Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston.

Edgar Alvarez Barajas / Input

The installation, which has had other iterations at the MCA and High museums in Chicago and Atlanta, respectively, is a showcase of Abloh’s wide range of creative works. That includes anything from his Nike sneaker collabs to his Off-White and Louis Vuitton fashion collections, to his paintings, sculptures, and music artwork.

Edgar Alvarez Barajas / Input

Throughout the exhibit, you’ll find contemporary pieces like this rug — which Abloh says features one of the most negative reviews of his first clothing brand, Pyrex.

Edgar Alvarez Barajas / Input

Aside from the million other things he does, Abloh is also a music DJ, so you’ll find elements of that aspect of his life, as well, at Figures of Speech.

YEEZUS ART (2013)

“AN ARRAY OF AIR” (2019)

Of course there are sneakers. Array of Air is a collection of samples and prototypes from Abloh’s collaboration with Nike. There’s an Air Jordan 4 “Bred” that hasn’t been released that every sneakerhead and hypebeast would go wild for.

Edgar Alvarez Barajas / Input

And then there’s the Church & State pop-up shop, where you can buy items from Abloh’s Off-White brand, his art books, and merch made exclusively for the ICA Boston.

Edgar Alvarez Barajas / Input

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