Denim dates back to the 18th century in the French town of Nimes. From workman’s clothes beginnings to pop culture icon, denim has woven its way into a billion lives.
In Christopher Santiago’s hands, along with cutters, sharp scissors and glue, hundreds of pieces of denim are blended and layered into one another to create a picturesque cityscape alive with charming Volkswagen Beetles and old Italian motorbikes. Or a garden filled with flowers in full bloom.
And while a painter may have his color palette, Santiago is actually looking at various shades of indigo. He is firmly connected to the material.
Denim is a perfect symbol of our modern world.
What better medium is there to express contemporary life than using the material of our time? It is a material that everyone can identify with. It doesn’t discriminate based on body type or fashion norms; or social status, or rich or poor. It is the bridge that connects these wide gaps inherent in societies local or foreign.
To create everyday scenes out of a common material, things people see often, if put together can become something very different.
The artist’s work becomes more accessible to more people, rather than paint on canvas or sculpture. There’s no thinking required. Like a song that’s easy to hum, rather than a jazz quartet’s heavy solos.
While the artist may not have really intended it so, he has actually achieved a strong connection or bond with people who think art is alien and not for them.
He has created art that is accessible.
No longer damned to a landfill. In Santiago’s art, the common denim fabric has transcended into something quite everlasting for a whole lot of people, here and the world over.
