Post-Art Clarity

When I saw ‘Almost Body’, an exhibition of new works by London-based artist Qian Zhong at Soho Revue, I had earlier that day been captivated and somewhat distracted by a Margiela ensemble worn by Kim Kardashian at the 2025 Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles. It was almost year-old news by the time I had seen it, but it had been amplified again with commentary on my Instagram feed. Someone had commented on how insensitive it was, given the plight of women and girls in Iran. This wasn’t far-fetched: just last week, Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi was sentenced to seventy-four lashes for performing on a livestream without her hijab. For this crime, one of the counts against her is for “obscene and indecent material”. I couldn’t help but feel jaded in my lack of trust for major figures in popular culture to fight the good fight. I suppose the issue with this specific Margiela outfit is that it feels like there was a moment to seize public attention and make a point, but under commodity feti...