Cipőfantáziák / Shoe Fantasies

Cipőfantáziák / Shoe Fantasies is the result of a cooperation between Pécs Gallery and the Virtual Shoe Museum, curated by Liza Snook and Amber Ambrose Aurèle Verstegen. These Shoe Fantasies were specially selected for the exhibition presented as part of the Prologue of the LOKART Festival in Pécs, Hungary. On show from June 9 till september 3 2023. A must see for everyone!

This exhibition will make you wonder ‘What’s a shoe?’ If we don’t immediately identify the shape of the shoe, is it a shoe? There is conceptual and layered work that makes you look twice, because there is much more happening than a pair of wearable shoes. Does the shoe have to be wearable to be a shoe?

The exhibition presents a remarkable selection of footwear by International and Hungarian artists and designers. Some approach it from the point of view of construction and expression, others from the study of materials and technique. The multifaceted potential of shoes as a creative medium is reflected not only in the shoes themselves, but also in installations, photographs and videos.

VirtualShoeMuseum.com is a digital platform for shoe enthusiasts and professionals, where you can search shoes by designer, color, type or material. There is a wide choice of materials: shoes made of leather, textile, jellyfish, glass, sugar, blood, seaweed and many others.

Liza Snook has collected almost everything to do with shoes: wearables she has found while travelling, books about shoes, postcards, articles. In 2004 she created this digital platform with her partner Taco Zwaanswijk, where you can find an extensive choice of shoes: wearable shoes, paintings, sculptures, illustrations or videos. From this collection she creates exhibitions about shoes in art and design, in collaboration with various museums, galleries and events around the world.

‘Women in high heels are more dangerous than a loaded gun’ said Dutch designer Amber Ambrose Aurèle, who is known for her ‘sky-high heels’. She explores the boundaries of fashion and art through her shoe design. As a designer she wants to build a bridge between her love for art, fashion, the human body, cultures, craftsmanship and sustainable or innovative techniques and materials. Her work has been featured in several exhibitions and fashion magazines around the world. She teaches the new generation of designers in the Netherlands and China.