STERLING RUBY. STUDIO. LA. CA.

In Review: The 2010s

Part 1.

032c has been in dialogue with Sterling Ruby for a long time. We’ve talked to the “one-man Bauhaus” about his ceramics, sculptures, canvases, and installations (Issue #20); covered his multimedia collaborations with fashion designer Raf Simons (Issue #27); and observed his experiments in workwear (Issue #30).

In fact, it was on a visit to Ruby’s massive Los Angeles studio last year that we crystallized the idea of The Big Flat Now (Issue #34): a view of cultural output that updates our vocabulary for a world in which the same practitioner can exhibit art in major galleries, build sets for runway shows, create interior architecture for a Calvin Klein flagship, and design clothing – all as part of one continuous process of production. After working on clothes behind the scenes for roughly a decade, this year Ruby’s took this longstanding interest to the next level: his own label, S.R. STUDIO. LA. CA., launched in June 2019 at Florence’s Pitti Uomo. In advance of the reveal, we sent fellow Californian Eli Russell Linnetz to Ruby’s studio to capture the collection right where it began. In turn, Linnetz took us to the Roman Forum, reimagined for Vernon, Los Angeles County. Collaging his own work onto Linnetz’ images, Ruby put the finishing touches on the S.R. STUDIO. LA. CA. collection test run.

Keep scrolling for selections from the collaboration, or see the full story in print in 032c Issue #36.