The Antwerp Public Art Collection (Kunst in de Stad—Middelheim Museum) unveils presents Blinds, a newly commissioned permanent artwork by Martin Margiela. This sculpture marks the first public work by Margiela, who first gained cultural acclaim as a fashion designer and has dedicated himself to visual arts since 2008. Blinds is made of stainless steel, an industrial material, sanded to mimic the texture of textile, and plated with palladium, a silver-coloured goldleaf-like material that will fade over time.

Blinds was created for the Schuttershofstraat, a recently redesigned historical street in the center of Antwerp. The many shop windows, the casual strolling of people who enjoy seeing and being seen, as well as urban grittiness and unpredictability: all these elements informed Margiela’s work. As such, Blinds follows the Antwerp Public Art Collection’s ethos of site-responsive commissioning.