“A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN” KATHERINE BERNHARDT X JEREMY SCOTT
The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art is breaking boundaries with FWING, a dazzling exhibition that unites two powerhouses of contemporary creativity: fashion designer Jeremy Scott and visual artist Katherine Bernhardt. Both Missouri-born and internationally renowned, Scott and Bernhardt revel in the language of pop culture, reinterpreting its symbols with bold irreverence and explosive color.
This is the first time an exhibition has explored the intersection between Scott’s avant-garde fashion and Bernhardt’s riotous paintings, revealing their shared ethos of playful critique and high-energy aesthetics. FWING immerses viewers in a world where high and low culture blur, turning the mundane into the magnificent.
Kitsch Meets Couture
Scott, best known for his decade-long tenure as creative director of Moschino (2013–2023), has turned pop culture into high fashion, reimagining icons like McDonald’s golden arches, Barbie, and SpongeBob SquarePants in his irreverent collections. His signature mash-ups of consumerist imagery with haute couture have been worn by cultural icons such as Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Madonna, Britney Spears, and Rihanna.
Bernhardt, on the other hand, takes a similarly exuberant approach with paint, creating energetic, large-scale canvases filled with repeated motifs: Windex bottles, Pokémon characters, Pink Panthers, and fruit loops of all kinds. Her work takes everyday consumer goods and transforms them into vibrant, pulsating patterns that teeter between satire and celebration.
The Pop Culture Playground
In FWING, Scott’s larger-than-life fashion pieces stand alongside Bernhardt’s color-soaked paintings, forming a hyperactive playground of visual delight. The exhibition challenges notions of what constitutes fine art and couture, asking: When does commercial imagery become art? Where is the line between satire and homage?
For students in Johnson County Community College’s Fashion Design & Merchandising and Fine Arts programs, as well as for local art lovers, FWING is a rare opportunity to witness two masters at work—both rooted in the Midwest, both revolutionizing their fields.
Whether you view it as high-art rebellion or a joyful dive into kitsch, FWING is a must-see. The exhibition reminds us that pop culture isn’t just something we consume—it’s something we can reimagine, remix, and transform into something spectacular.