30 Photos
Andreas Bedoya, "Sin titulo (Discos) [Untitled (Disks)]," metal, wire, cotton canvas, 2016. SCAD MUSEUM OF ART PERMANENT COLLECTION
"Conjunto Jean – Mister Trapo" by Gaspar Libedinsky. JEANETTE MAY/COURTESY OF GASPAR LIBEDINSKY AND PRAXIS GALLERY
Felix Beaudry, "Bury me in his tits," 2020, hand-tufted fabric. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND SITUATIONS, NYC
Felix Beaudry, "Bury me in his tits," 2020, hand-tufted fabric. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND SITUATIONS, NYC
Felix Beaudry, "Bury me in his tits," 2020, hand-tufted fabric. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND SITUATIONS, NYC
Felix Beaudry, "Bury me in his tits," 2020, hand-tufted fabric. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND SITUATIONS, NYC
Felix Beaudry, "Bury me in his tits," 2020, hand-tufted fabric. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND SITUATIONS, NYC
Felix Beaudry, "Fire Feet," 2024, machine knit fabric. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND SITUATIONS, NYC
Felix Beaudry, "Fire Feet," 2024, machine knit fabric; "Bury me in his tits," 2020, hand-tufted fabric. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND SITUATIONS, NYC
Felix Beaudry, "Fire Feet," 2024, machine knit fabric; "Bury me in his tits," 2020, hand-tufted fabric. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND SITUATIONS, NYC
Joiri Minaya, "Container 5," 2020, archival pigment print. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
Joiri Minaya, "I can wear tropical print now 1 (INVADERS)," 2018, used found shirt, spray paint, found fabric, custom wooden frame. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
Joiri Minaya, "I can wear tropical print now 5," 2018, used found shirt, found fabric, burned out fabric, custom wooden frame. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
Martine Gutierrez, "Body En Thrall, p104 from Indigenous Woman," 2018, C-print Martine Gutierrez. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND RYAN LEE GALLERY, NEW YORK
Martine Gutierrez, "Body En Thrall, p113 from Indigenous Woman," 2018, C-print © Martine Gutierrez. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND RYAN LEE GALLERY, NEW YORK
Martine Gutierrez, “Neo-Indeo, Legendary Cakchiquel, p20 from Indigenous Woman,” 2018, C-print Martine Gutierrez. Courtesy of the artist Josh Lilley, London and RYAN LEE Gallery, New York
Martine Gutierrez, "Neo-Indeo, Trade In Your Quiche Skirts, p26 from Indigenous Woman," 2018, C-print Martine Gutierrez. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST, FRAENKEL GALLERY, SAN FRANCISCO AND RYAN LEE GALLERY, NEW YORK
Martine Gutierrez, "Neo-Indio, Mam Going Bananas p27 from Indigenous Woman," 2018, C-print Martine Gutierrez. Collection of David Frankel and Lynn Freedman. COURTESY OF RYAN LEE GALLERY
Martine Gutierrez, "Queer Rage, Swimming Lessons, p75 from Indigenous Woman," 2018, C-print Martine Gutierrez. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND RYAN LEE GALLERY, NEW YORK
Miguel Fernández de Castro, "La huella (The trace)," 2023, photographic print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag 308 mounted on Dibond. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
Milagros de la Torre, "Bulletproof (Guayabera)," 2008, archival pigment print on cotton paper, mounted on aluminum. MILAGROS DE LA TORRE
Milagros de la Torre, "Bulletproof (Ladies Corduroy)," 2008, Archival pigment print on cotton paper, mounted on aluminum. MILAGROS DE LA TORRE
Milagros de la Torre, "Bulletproof (Ladies Jacket)," 2008, Archival pigment print on cotton paper, mounted on aluminum. MILAGROS DE LA TORRE
Milagros de la Torre, "Bulletproof (T-shirt)," 2008, archival pigment print on cotton paper, mounted on aluminum. MILAGROS DE LA TORRE
"Mister Trapo" by Gaspar Libedinsky. JEANETTE MAY/COURTESY OF GASPAR LIBEDINSKY AND PRAXIS GALLERY
Nazareth Pacheco, "Faco o possivel... sapato vermelho e regua (I'll do my best...red shoes and ruler)," 2024, bronze and shoe. ANA PIGOSSO/COURTESY OF THE GALERIA LUME
Nazareth Pacheco, "Sem titulo (vestido prata) (Untitled [silver dress])," 1999, Crystal, glass bead, and razor blades. ANA PIGOSSO/COURTESY OF THE GALERIA LUME
Raúl de Nieves, "The Gift," 2023, vintage silk robe, beads, feathers, treads, bells, silk ribbons, sequins, cardboard, all items gifted to the artist by friends. COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND COMPANY GALLERY, NY
Stephanie Syjuco, "Cargo Cults (Java Bunny)," archival pigment print. STEPHANIE SYJUCO/COURTESY OF THE ARTIST, CATHARINE CLARK GALLERY, CA AND RYAN LEE GALLERY, NEW YORK
Stephanie Syjuco, "Cargo Cults (Cover-Up)," archival pigment print. STEPHANIE SYJUCO/COURTESY OF THE ARTIST, CATHARINE CLARK GALLERY, CA AND RYAN LEE GALLERY, NEW YORK
Fashion has taken over the galleries inside the Southampton Arts Center — a two-piece set from Gaspar Libedinsky; a silver dress, laden with crystal, by Nazareth Pacheco; a photo of a plain white T-shirt from Milagros de la Torre.
But this is not your average catwalk.
Upon closer inspection, the two-piece set is made from grey rags. Hanging from the glittering dress are sharp razor blades. And the plain white T-shirt? Bulletproof.
“Second Skin,” curated by art scholar Estrellita B. Brodsky, is a study in identity, gender, culture and political activism as seen through the lens of clothing and design in approximately 30 works from the early 1950s to date, with a strong emphasis on Latin American artists.
“Fashion is not neutral,” Brodsky said.
The exhibition features photography, sculpture, textiles, wearable objects and archival material. Some of the artists, like Felix Baudry and Nazareth Pacheco, craft their own clothing to propose alternative identities, or shields against political violence or sexual aggression.
Others, such as Joiri Minaya and Stephanie Syjuco, cull commercially available ethnic patterns and tropical prints to subvert racial and colonial thinking — all the while critiquing the fashion industry’s beauty standards and commodification of bodies.
“I think it’s great to give recognition to these artists, Latino artists, and especially in a community that's so well served by the Latino population,” the curator said. “My banner is always to give pride to people and people’s culture in a way that is respectful. That’s one of my big goals, in whatever I do.”
Brodsky, who is also a collector and philanthropist, was born in New York City to a Uruguayan mother and Venezuelan father, who came to the United States in the mid-1940s, she said.
“I grew up being very aware of the rich culture of Latin America,” she said, “and also the disconnect with the North American public.”
It inspired her work on the global stage, where she is a champion of Latin American art and its diaspora. While studying at New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts, her Ph.D. thesis, “Latin American Artists in Post-War Paris,” received the Association of Latin American Art’s award for best doctoral dissertation.
“That’s why a lot of my work is also recognizing a generation of artists who have been overlooked,” she said of her professional focus, “as well as the richness of the culture that I think should instill pride in Latinos in this country, as well as respect from others.”
Over the course of her career, Brodsky has supported cultural programs and initiatives at international institutions, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the Centre Pompidou in France. She has curated exhibitions in Miami, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires and New York City — where she also runs her own not-for-profit gallery, Another Space — as well as the East End.
“Second Skin” is the sequel to “Spin a Yarn,” an exhibition presented last spring at Guild Hall in East Hampton that explored textiles as tools of storytelling — whereas this new show, on view now through December 28, shifts the focus to fashion as wearable, lived objects that can serve as critical sites.
The exhibition unfolds through the three thematically curated galleries: the first highlighting fashion as a marker of identity, the second an examination of garments as protective devices, and the third a consideration of clothing as consumer products within global markets.
But the first piece that visitors will see is “The Gift” by Raúl de Nieves — a sculpture wearing a vintage silk robe, adorned in beads, feathers, bells, silk ribbons, sequins and more, all donated by the artist’s friends — soaring about 7 feet high, Brodsky said.
“I think people will be surprised,” she said. “It’s not a normal fashion show.”
“Second Skin,” a group exhibition exploring the intersection of art and fashion, will have an opening reception on Saturday, October 11, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Southampton Arts Center, 25 Jobs Lane, Southampton. The show will remain on view through December 28. For more information, visit southamptonartscenter.org.
Michelle Trauring on Oct 7, 2025