THE MATERIAL GIRL
Somewhere close to Paris, September 2023
There are certain encounters that mark you more than others, certain people you meet and with whom you feel an unexpected connection. Probably the beauty of our work lies in those very moments, when our sensibilities meet those of others, and suddenly it’s a match. This is what I felt when I spent the day with the Belgian artist and model KRISTINA DE CONINCK in her house. Having always been part of the fashion world, the former muse and close friend of Martin Margiela has a precious sensitivity and love for life, which she puts into the wool sculptures she has been creating for many years. As I photographed her, we talked about her artistic practice, her relationship with the revolutionary Belgian designer, and everything that makes up Kristina’s material and sensible world. Sometimes the spontaneity of dialogue is better than a well-written summary, so here are some extracts from the exchanges we had during that day, at the crossroads of images, words and bodies.
Left Full look Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello
Right Martin Margiela Archives
In the living room, when we arrived in the morning.
Your house is so warm, we feel at home straight away. How long have you lived here?
It’s been 18 years now.
When did you move to France?
In 1989. I was living in Mortsel, near Antwerp, and I moved to Paris to work with the modelling agency WE, which no longer exists. They thought I was 22 when they signed me up, when in fact I was 29. [Laughs] At some point, I had to bring my identity papers, so they understood and said, “It’s ok, we’ll keep you anyway.” [Laughs]
How long did you work with this agency?
For about 3 years, until I got pregnant. From then on, I wanted to have a more stable life because with modelling I never knew how much I was going to earn each month.
What did you do after?
I started out as a sales assistant at A.P.C., then became the manager of the boutique at Trocadéro. After that, I worked for the high-end Japanese brand CABANE de ZUCCa for several years. I found the clothes very beautiful and I travelled a lot to Japan.
What are your best memories of all these experiences?
People, definitely. I loved communication and being in contact with customers. I met some incredible people and also great personalities like Jane Birkin and Catherine Deneuve.
That must be something! Were you a model at the same time?
In the early years, yes, but not consistently. I was really involved in my full-time job. I returned to modelling in 2015, when Didier Vervaeren organised the exhibition “The Belgians. An Unexpected Fashion Story”, I was on the cover of the book. In 2017, I opened Dries Van Noten’s 100th fashion show.
Left Full look Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello
Right Top Miu Miu, gloves Maison Margiela
In the bedroom, while getting ready for the shooting.
Kristina is talking while taking out some sculptures and boxes containing archive pieces by Martin Margiela, including shirts, shoes, a Gainsbourg jacket, an apron...
Do you work exclusively with wool for your sculptures?
No, I work with different textiles, as well as wire and ceramic inserts sometimes. I started knitting when I was a child and then I learnt the rest on my own. It took a long time. I was fascinated by botany and particularly by bonsai trees because of the way we can sculpt their branches and shape the plant. I started making some bonsai trees out of wool and wire. I had an exhibition in Paris with these pieces and it was a great success.
Why wool?
It’s a material I’ve been pretty sensible to since I was a child. Beyond knitting, it can become a mass that you model. It’s like clay to me, but wool is much warmer. I also make sculptures from old tapestries that I salvage, old blankets or even old clothes that are lying around in my drawers. For example, one piece is made from an old Cacharel jumper, and another from the fabric of a Mexican dress. I use materials that make me feel something when I see or touch them. Once I get this feeling, I start to manipulate them and I see where it leads me. All these sculptures appear like bodies to me, even if they are very abstract.
When do you decide a piece is finished?
I feel when the piece starts to live its own life. As soon as I reach this feeling, it’s all won.
Left Top Miu Miu, gloves Maison Margiela, jeans Balenciaga (stylist's own)
Right Full look Miu Miu
In the kitchen, speaking about fashion and Martin Margiela while cooking a meal.
Do you feel there’s a difference between being a model now and 20 years ago?
Yes, I feel a difference because I’m often booked with very young models, and I’m often the oldest. I really enjoy working with models of different ages, and I generally have a very good contact with everyone I meet. It’s very exciting.
It sounds like there is a beautiful synergy in all the projects you are part of. You know, my dad once told me that we often receive the energy similar to the one we put out. I think there’s a lot of that in the art and fashion worlds, and in life in general.
That’s true. The meeting of multiple strong energies makes it happen. It’s quite unique working in fashion when you think about it. There’s a dynamic that you don’t get in other jobs... – Hang on, I’m going to put the dish in the oven. I’m delighted every time I get booked and as soon as I’m considered for a job I believe in it wholeheartedly!
You sound so enthusiastic, it’s amazing! Do you think fashion has changed a lot compared to when you worked with Martin Margiela?
A journalist for Vogue asked me once, “How do you see fashion today?” I answered, “There are so many sneakers.” That’s the only thing I found to answer, and it still is. [Laughs]
That’s a pretty good answer, and it actually says a lot about our actual society. How did you perceive Margiela’s work?
I was always surprised and fascinated by all the ideas he had. I wondered where it all came from. I find almost everything he does incredible. And above all, I loved and still love this man so much! I love his personality, and his fashion had a lot of character. He was so sweet, all the models adored him. He had a way of working and being that was quite revolutionary... – Wait, I have to make the sauce for the fish. I’ve never been interviewed while cooking. [Laughs]
Plus, wearing a full Margiela look!
Left Jacket Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, pants Hugo Brochen, shoes Kristina's own
Right Dress Uma Wang, bracelet Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello
In the garden, eating dessert and drinking coffee
Let’s come back to your sculptures. Why the body?
To try to understand something, I don’t know what exactly. Life, perhaps? Sculpting wool requires a lot of patience. I need to be touched by what I’m doing. I look for the right emotion in each piece I make.
Is it deliberate to make shapes that evoke bodies?
Well, after the bonsai trees, I began to be interested in the chest. When I work on the shape as it is a chest, I feel like a heart beating. The torso comes to life in a way, especially when I start to like it. It’s all very personal. I think I love life in general. Plants, animals, bodies... It’s extraordinary. I like to capture the beauty of movement in one way or another, whether through colours, shapes or lights. Even when I want to do more abstract things, the pieces often end up reminding me of bodies.
I think these are things that remain inside us, like obsessions that we develop in many different ways. These chests you’re talking about are women’s, aren’t they?
Yes. I mainly do women’s bodies, probably because I’m a woman and I understand women better than men. It’s not easy to understand men. [Laughs] The contact between two people also fascinates me. Why bodies? That’s a very deep question. I’m trying to answer it, but maybe I’ll never succeed. Looking for the answer is also part of the work, I think.
Art is often about raising questions without having the answers.
Yes, it’s true. I ask myself a lot of questions. When I was a child, I used to think that the inside of the human body was like the inside of a blood orange. It was something that bothered me a lot from a very early age. The body is there... the body is no longer there... The question of the body going away is very important to me.
In a way, your work reflects your questioning of life and your relationship with the human being. The body is present in your work and your career, both as an artist and a model. I find this constant presence of the body, which in your work also questions its absence, very beautiful. You question the flesh, what remains and what leaves.
Yes, and yet, I’m a very happy person! Perhaps it’s this reflection on life that makes me love it so much.
It’s wonderful, all the stages of life you’ve been through, all these different phases that are all linked together. A bit like the assembled pieces that make up your sculptures.
Left Jacket and pants Loewe, boots Kristina's own
Right Top Miu Miu, gloves Maison Margiela
Before we go, so that a trace of this day remains.
I get a lot of inspiration from looking at people. The way you sit tells me something, the way the light hits your face. As a photographer, you have to observe a lot too.
Yes, very much so. It’s all about the way you look at things. I recently realized that the point of view you decide to take has a lot of influence on the way you live and feel what surrounds you. I’m fascinated by dance and photography, by bodies and images, and working with these two mediums allows me to experience and explore many perspectives and ways of expression and creation. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve drowned myself in (...) images and I think there was a time when I needed to create my own, (...) as if to create my own visual world. In the end, all these images became traces of beautiful moments and encounters, just like this day we just shared together. I love people, not eve- ryone of course. [Laughs] Being able to share with people is the main reason why I do what I do. Have you met a lot of people who have inspired you and left their mark on you?
Absolutely, all the people who have been part of my life in some way. The question of the trace is an interesting one. I think that as an artist you always need something to remember. I love looking at what I’ve done before, it reminds me of how I was feeling at this specific time. It’s as if a piece contains an emotion, a past memory that I can touch again. I think I’m a material girl. [Laughs] Let’s do something in the material world!
Jacket Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello
Left Full look Prada
Right Top Hugo Brochen
Left Jacket and top Miu Miu, shoes Martin Margiela Archives, jeans Kristina's own
Right Dress Uma Wang, bracelet Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello
Interview and photography by Hanna Pallot
Fashion by Adrien Gras