This week marks the unveiling of Kim Mesches’ latest project: a captivating installation gracing the windows ofBloomingdale’s Soho location. The New York-based multidisciplinary artist, known for his work in fashion, art, and creative direction, will showcase his fluid cast sculptures for three weeks, through mid-March 2025.
Mesches’ creations evoke a sense of floating and suspended time, drawing inspiration from his New York roots and the organic movement inherent in nature. His process reflects a compelling juxtaposition: the ethereal flow of biotic life intertwined with meticulously layered textures. This tension is central to his ever-evolving work.
Each piece is individually sculpted and hand-dyed, showcasing Mesches’ dedication to craftsmanship. He masterfully navigates the temperamental nature of his chosen materials, achieving a harmonious composition through the interplay of contrasting elements – thinness and thickness, boldness and delicacy.
A hallmark of Mesches’ work lies in his innovative material treatments. He employs techniques such as copper patina, which organically transforms into a vibrant teal over a 24-hour period, and heat-activated silicone, which shifts between colors based on temperature fluctuations. This dynamic interplay between deliberate control and organic evolution mirrors Mesches’ ongoing fascination with motion and transformation.
Visitors to Bloomingdale’s Soho location can experience Mesches’ surreal vision firsthand. His sculptures are displayed across multiple windows and in an installation on the second floor. Together, these elements create an immersive environment that appears frozen in time. The sculptures seem to have sprouted organically from the very streets upon which shoppers stand, blurring the lines between reality and the artist’s captivating vision. Mesches talks about fusing together art and design, his materials and bringing life to window displays.
How do you fuse together art and fashion in powerful ways? You feel like part-artist, part-designer.
Kim Mesches: My background is in fashion design and styling, but I have always been an artist. I have been drawing and painting my entire life, so this practice has been years of experimentation and bringing all my influences together. I think of myself first as an artist who makes pieces that can work in the world of design.
Can you talk about your latest project in the windows of Bloomingdale’s Soho location?
Bloomingdale’s contacted me and asked me to take over the iconic Bloomingdale’s windows for their first ever Artist Takeover. This was last summer, and since then, we have been going back and forth reworking the concept and design and making it perfect for the 59th Street location. It premiered at the end of January with 8 windows on Lexington Ave, 7 on 59th Street and a large making-of video. It was so well received that they decided to move the show down to the Soho location after 59th Street. So, we took the colorful pieces and installed them in the windows of Soho. It’s really cool because when you walk into the space the pieces are floating above you. There are also two installations on the second floor.
What are the materials made of, in terms of how they are dyed and have that special shine?
Each piece must be dyed by hand first, then it is cast and manipulated in different materials. Some are made with epoxy, some with silicone, some with metallic finishes. Most of the pieces for Bloomingdale’s are made with resin. After they are cast in resin, they need to be heated into shape, or layered with other colors, sometimes painted and revarnished.
Are your works wearable sculptures?
I make collections (I just launched Collection 6) of wearable sculptures that I like to photograph on and off-figure. In the case of Bloomingdale’s, no, these sculptures are purely art. I mean technically you could wear them if you wanted, but that wasn’t their purpose.
Why is springtime ideal for this installation?
Springtime is the perfect time for this installation because the pieces are so colorful and whimsical. We are coming out of a rough winter, and everybody is so excited for the warmth. This installation evokes a feeling of being surrounded by color and the pieces look as if they are floating in the wind above you. Springtime always feels like a new beginning and comes with that excitement; I want you to feel walking into the installation.
How do you feel about the evolution of the department store window display and where it stands in 2025?
I think this initiative to work with a New York-based artist is a great evolution for the department store window display. It makes them feel personal and it is an exciting way to connect with the community. It brings new life into the windows and allows a new take on the ordinary. The visual merchandise director of Bloomingdale’s, Juan Camacho, helped curate the vision and really pushed for me to do this. He is changing the aesthetics behind the department store window displays and really breathing in new life.
Why have you used materials like copper patina and heat-activated silicone?
Why not? I’m always looking for new and exciting techniques to include in my body of work. Anything that has a chemical reaction is always intriguing to me. The copper patina is interesting because it must be done over a 24-hour period of time, and the results can change quite quickly. The heat activated silicone is amazing because you can control what colors the silicone starts at and turns to, which is always fun. I’m always looking for different materials to experiment with.
How does surrealism influence your creative vision?
Surrealism is a feeling of being larger than life, or beyond the confines of normal thinking, which is a great place to create. I’m always asking myself what if? What if the pieces change color, or how will this make the viewer feel? I want my work to feel confusing and intriguing. Surrealism is making dreams a reality or making something impossible feel possible. I want my work to always have the feeling of motion and being frozen in time. I want the viewer to think, how is that possible? I’m confused. If that’s the reaction, then I’ve done my job.
What is next for you?
I am currently working on refabricating my work into more art/design pieces. I have made larger scale pieces for interiors, private homes, and galleries, I would like to do that more. I am a big believer in upcycling and reworking archive pieces by giving them new life. I designed a whole upcycled collection, Collection 4, through reworked pieces and materials. So, I am taking my pieces and turning them into lighting, wall sculptures etc. It’s a lot of fun, so exploring that side more. I hope to find a gallery to work with and expand my practice.
Follow Kim Mesches on Instagram @kimmesches.
