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Art collective Michael Elmgreen and Igar Dragset of Elmgreen & Dragset, have created a US$80,000 permanent art installation—paid for by the New York non-profit Art Production Fund and Ballroom Marfa—that is designed to resemble a Prada store, known as ‘Prada Marfa’.
Unlike other retail stores of the brand, it has no doors to allow people in, and is located in the middle of a desert, just off US Route 90 in West Texas, 60 kilometers northwest of the city of Marfa.
The entire building is constructed with biodegradable materials, it was meant to slowly degrade back into the landscape, acting as a “critique of consumerism and the luxury goods industry”.
Miuccia Prada did not endorse the installation, but she allowed the artists to use her brand's logo and products—after the store experienced its first theft just days after its opening in 2005, she has restocked with nonfunctional shoes and bags to be displayed inside instead.
After being classified as an illegal advertisement for Prada, the duo stood firmly stood their ground, stating that they were not commissioned by the brand—the installation is now reclassified as a museum, with Prada Marfa as the only exhibit.
Find more of the duo's work on their website.
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[via Amusing Planet]