PARIS KAIN’S ‘EARTH’


Paris Kain may have a day job in fashion, but when he sets out to make a video, don’t go looking for a luxury label. The designer behind bold jewelry line Abraxas Rex, Kain is also a sometime painter, photographer, and documentarian, and his taste, appropriately, skews towards the highbrow. In recent months, Kain has embarked on a rewarding collaboration with the London-based performance artist “Number 8,” whom he describes as “terrifying, yet so warm.” In their latest video, “Earth,” “Number 8″—dressed in Rick Owens and completely covered in black makeup—communes with a bouquet of lurid red tulips, caressing their petals and rubbing his nose in them in a state of ecstasy and wonder, coaxing them into being. “‘Earth’ is an ode to the transformative aspects of alchemy and is an interpretation of alchemy’s symbolic ‘philosopher’s stone’ with all its life-giving attributes,” Kain explains. “‘Earth’s main character literally plays the role of ‘earth,’ which grants life to grow in its presence.” It’s the perfect role for an artist Kain says is “always on, always in character, and always evolving.”

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