2025 KMAC COUTURE CURATORIAL STATEMENT
 

LUCKY #13

Exploring Superstition and Good Fortune Through Fashion

As KMAC Couture enters the teenage years, our 2025 runway celebrates the occasion of its auspicious thirteenth birthday with a tribute to all things lucky. Submissions for this edition of Art Walks the Runway will pay homage to the charms and superstitions that offer hope and allow us to explore that sometimes all too rare of human faculties—the ability to dream and to think big. For this year’s submission process, we ask you all to think big and share your visions and personal ideas about luck.

While the number thirteen is commonly known to foreshadow ominous circumstances, it is also more generally and widely considered to have a mysterious power that can inspire change and foster a positive outlook. Submissions do not need to use a reference to the number thirteen but can find inspiration in the boundless other ways that people and cultures around the world attempt to conjure luck. Some people believe in the luck of the Irish, carrying a rabbit’s foot or a four-leafed clover, and hanging on to a lucky penny or a $2 bill. Similar to the number thirteen, many consider a black cat crossing their path to be a bad omen, while others see it as a lucky sign. Horseshoes are often displayed as protective talismans or carried around as good luck charms. What do you keep close to you for good luck?

As part of the kickoff to Derby Season here in Louisville, this year’s couture also welcomes submissions exploring the thrill and allure for games of chance. Whether making a wishful blow into your hand before a lively roll of the dice, or vigorously blowing out all the candles of a birthday cake, we all have personal and collective customs that we hope will help influence future good and fortune.

Fortuna is the Roman goddess of fortune. She is the personification of luck and is often depicted carrying her Wheel of Fortune or a cornucopia, otherwise known as the horn of plenty, an ancient symbol of abundance and nourishment that has come to be associated with Thanksgiving and the harvest in North America. The Ankh is an Ancient Egyptian symbol for vitality and life that many still use for good luck today and The Eye of Horus has likewise persisted in modern Egypt and around the world as a symbol representing well-being, healing and protection. In Japan, the maneki-neko is a figurine of a waving cat that is believed to bring good luck and fortune, hence their common place near entryways beckoning customers into places of business. Origami cranes are also considered to bring good luck in Japanese culture. In Chinese mythology the dragon symbolizes good luck in all aspects of daily life. Also in Chinese culture, much like for Louisville sports fans, red and black are considered lucky colors. What colors are lucky for you?

Elements to keep in mind for a favorable submission include: having a clear narrative and connection to the theme, a special reveal or element of surprise, or a detail that might transform in some way along the runway. As we thank our lucky stars for all our artists, sponsors, workers, audiences, and fans, we look forward to celebrating our lucky 13th runway with you all.

 

Joey Yates

Curatorial Director

KMAC Contemporary Art Museum