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Chanel have released a short teaser video for their upcoming exhibition at the Saatchi gallery. The retrospective, called Mademoiselle Privé, is a journey through the origins of Chanel: in particular, their iconic Haute Couture pieces, the re-editions of their “Bijoux de Diamants” jewellery collection created in 1932, and also the evolution of the classic CHANEL N°5 fragrance.

The exhibition will capture the “charismatic personality and irreverent spirit of Mademoiselle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld” and is installed on all three floors of the gallery space – we can’t wait!

Mademoiselle Privé opens on the 13th October at the Saatchi Gallery.

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Shoes Off If You Love Luton! wasn’t chosen as the cover image of the Saatchi Gallery‘s upcoming show for nothing. Whether dressing up as Margaret Thatcher (his “magnum opus”), his dog Dolly, or a Burberry-clad chav, Dominic from Luton provides undeniable Brit impact.

So… why Luton, exactly?

Most people think Luton is shit, but I’ve always loved the idea of the underdog. Luton’s got a rough deal over the years, and deserves better than that.

You’re often in drag. Do you think that helps or hinders viewers to take your art seriously?

Humour’s not a bad way to engage people, to make them react, though the works themselves are quite serious.

Do you consider yourself a performance artist as well a photographer?

Definitely. I was recently asked to give an artist’s talk at a working men’s club. But I was more interested in it being experiential, a shared moment, through a three-minute pop hit in the guise of singer Paul Young.

Is your work distinctly British?

A lot of what I do is autobiographical, and has to do with Thatcherism, which my family bought into. Their current state is a consequence of their trying “to better themselves”.

What if the viewer doesn’t pick up on all the multiple Brit cultural references?

They don’t have to have a sense of contemporary British cultural issues. I’m more interested in people actually liking my work at face value.

Are your performances re-enactments, like Jeremy Deller’s Battle of Orgreave?

It’s a rebirth. I’ve thought about recreating when Millwall came to Luton for an epic football cup title in 1985 and basically rampaged through the town. It was also racially motivated. They attacked the referee, tore up the seats, and it was one of the most violent incidents in English football history.

What influences and inspires you most?

I’m obsessed with plays. I recently worked with David Eldridge on a one-day event. Someone I look at is Stuart Brisley, the daddy of British performance art: he’s fearless. Gilbert and George are still fantastic and relevant. There’s also a very underrated, late 90s band called Campag Velocet, which means taking drugs while cycling.

What can we expect from you in the near future?

A collaboration in which I make my dog into a fancy dress costume. It’s going to be furry, have whiskers and look identical to my dog, Dolly. We’re going to walk down Whitechapel High Street, then to a park off Brick Lane to play football together; it’s going to be documented. But before that, I’ve got a load of fake Burberry fabric from Shepherd’s Bush Market. I’m going to construct another Thatcher in a power dress suit, with pleated skirt, tights, high heels, Burberry makeup. I’m using Burberry as camouflage, as a vehicle for that term “chav”. It’s a deplorable, lazy word to describe people who haven’t got very much. It’s a very British affair.

1. Paul Young from Luton (2013): “He was a global pop-star and nice bloke. I wanted to breathe life into his memory and sing a love-song to my Luton Town.”

2. Shoes Off If You Love Luton! (2012): “The Reebok is the emblem of everyman, people I grew up with. The 99 with flake tattoo is a beautiful nod to that fleeting moment in suburbia, the sound of the ice-cream van in summer.”

3. Antagonistic Relationship Aesthetics (2011): “One of my favorite pieces. I think art has a duty to communicate, and I was the lucky recipient of this phrase via football.”

4. The Pursuit of Happiness (2007): “I found this bike in a skip in Walthamstow. This piece was never trying to do that much, that’s why it worked. It was purchased by buyers for Paul Smith.”

Dominic from Luton’s photography opens as part of Saatchi Gallery‘s New Order: British Art Now on 26th April. www.dominicfromluton.com

Words: Christine Jun  (Follow Christine at www.weaponsoms.blogspot.co.uk)

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 Cometes (2012): “I found this girl on an online forum for long-haired people. Extremely long hair has always fascinated me and I even thought about making a whole series about it. Cometes means ‘comet’ in Greek, as well as ‘long-haired.'”

Don’t expect any easy answers when approaching Zelenkova’s elegantly subversive black-and-white language. Often mislabelled a surrealist, she prefers that you lose and find your own way again in her often estranged, darkly romantic, yet timeless images. We talk to the Czech artist about why her work doesn’t make her a pessimist.

Why only black-and-white photos?

The usual first question! I sometimes shoot in color. But I feel more comfortable with black and white because it makes it easier to put things together. I’m more interested in form; colors are just too intrusive. It’s definitely an aesthetic choice.

Where are you from and why work in London?

I come from a small town in the eastern Czech Republic. About six years ago, I visited London and liked it, so I stayed much longer than I was supposed to. At the same time, I was bored to death studying law in Brno. I’ve always done photography, but never formally studied it. So I applied for a course in London and it was a good excuse to move here.

Is there a significant art scene back home?

There is in Prague, but I’m actually having a hard time becoming accepted there. They don’t want me, they’re like, “Who’s that?”

Can you name a few Czech artists that we should look out for?

Jiří Thýn, Jan Vytiska and Radeq Brousil.

Does London inspire or distract you?

It’s been very difficult for me to create any work in London. It’s the pace of life here: you don’t have the time to stop. It’s also hard to keep looking at things in a fresh way where you live. For my latest body of work, I’ve forced myself to take more London photos.

What projects do you have planned for the future?

I’m working on two different projects at the moment. The first deals with museums as places that are excluded from the flux and reality of everyday life, but are also organised and rationally structured reflections of the world. My other project is funded by 1000 Words Photography Magazine and deals with European migration. It’s challenging, because it’s very political and unlike me.

How do you describe your own photographs?

It’s a way of looking at the world, making sense of it, proposing a relationship between things that is not strictly based on a rational premise.

What influences your work?

Literature, I read quite a lot. During my last project I read Rimbaud’s letters and his Season in Hell. Music-wise, I like Nick Cave, Patti Smith, PJ Harvey.

Do you consider yourself a Neo-surrealist?

No, but the influences are definitely there. I try to find what is beyond the ordinary, in an ambiguous way. All of my photographs are taken in mundane public places but the prints that I choose create a slightly different visual language. I shoot very ordinary situations, but when translated into an image, a more romantic, timeless world emerges.

Do you attempt to portray a sinister view of the world?

People have called my work gothic and occult, but it’s not nihilistic or pessimistic. What is beautiful or extraordinary to me often has dark undertones or a quite contradictory nature: they’re not quite right. It’s like my photograph of the woman with the long hair. Hair is usually considered a symbol of beauty, but when it becomes excessive, a lot of people become repulsed by it.

Are you trying to destabilize our sense of stability?

Destabilize is the right word. Maybe “subvert” as well, especially in relation to the politics of my current projects.

3. Freud’s Study (2013): “This is Freud’s study and consultation room in London. I love the atmosphere provided by the oriental carpets, ethnic antiquities, and the fact that people used to confess their darkest secrets there.”

4. V&A Statue (2013): “The V&A Museum’s cast court is closed for construction, but you can find rather bizarre sights there, such as this veiled Italian statue. I think the way the modern materials interact with this ancient form is quite beautiful.”

Tereza Zelenkova’s work opens as part of Saatchi Gallery’s New Order: British Art Today show on April 26th 2013. www.terezazelenkova.com

Words: Christine Jun (www.weaponsoms.blogspot.co.uk)

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What defines your work?

I use photography to think about more abstract ideas. My photographs are artefacts that point to questions in a kind of phantasmagorica and fantasy way; a dose of gimmicky tragedy that mirrors a notion of ‘possible beings’, always masked with a sense of lightness.

Tell us more about your show this week.

I’m presenting Deodorants Games, a series of images that bring into question some of the ideas that fascinate me. More than ever, odor is a matter of concern, but my starting point was the ‘allure’ of fragrances that has spanned domains and which has become a key element of self-branding. Fragrances help to project in others a personal desire according to that DIY sense of ourselves.

Your work has an almost plastic, hyper-artificial feel to it – what interests you about portraying that?

I’ve always had difficulty accepting things as ‘they are’. The ‘natural’ is alien to me or at least is not where I feel most comfortable. Essentially, we have to make do with what is available. In general, my work reflects on certain meditation available to us in our everyday, the way we reinvent ourselves as fetishes through media activities. Maybe the unnatural sight of how we present ourselves infuses my practice.

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What’s your background in art and photography?

After finishing my Fine Art studies over a decade ago, I came to London with the idea of pursuing a career in photography. I have always been doing bits and pieces, and photography offered me the chance to bring together some of my interests and skills. Photography has always provided a tool in my hand for me to deal with my curiosity and anxiety. It was really instinctive for me.

What’s your process from idea to finished place?

There is a great deal of satisfaction when I develop a piece. Although I tend to start with strong ideas, experimentation always shapes the end result. A gap for improvision is always common; I aim to surprise with the end result.

What’s currently inspiring you?

I think more is more. Earlier this summer I saw an overwhelming sample of ethereal Rococo architecture in the Cartuja of Granada, it really stuck in my mind.

What are you currently working on?

I’m working on a new series… extending some ideas I have been exploring in Deodorants Games. I’m working on notions connected to a sense of self-absorption.

Have you ever seen a piece of art that changed your life?

In a certain sense, yes. I mean, it is easier dealing through art to face everyday issues, and to have insights that would be difficult to have in any other way.

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Wonderland?

Malibu syndrome as a permanent state of mind.

Deodorants Games opens at Other Criteria from 6 September to 4 October, 14 Hinde Street, W1U 3BG. www.antoniomarguet.com

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