UNFINISHED
Category: Apparel
Competitions: International
I began this project with a realization not that I had exhausted the project itself, but that I have a tendency to exhaust things. I often reach a point where I feel I have taken something as far as I can, and then I leave it before it is truly finished. Over the past year and a half, I have been in therapy following the events of October 7th, which I experienced firsthand. At first, everything felt normal. I believed I was still the same Michal I had always been. Gradually, I realized that although I was still myself, something had changed. Certain emotions and patterns had become much more intense. Through therapy, I came to understand that I tend to exhaust moments, conversations, and relationships. I find it difficult to stay fully present in one place for a long period of time. This wasn't a new discovery, but after October 7th it became impossible to ignore. As someone who cares deeply about the smallest details, this realization began to affect my creative process. In every project, I want to dedicate myself completely to stay with it long enough to explore every nuance and every possibility. Yet, in the end, I always reach the same point: I feel I have exhausted it, and I move on. This realization led me to search for this feeling beyond myself. I looked for it in nature, and later, in art. While researching, I came across the concept of ״non finito״ Italian for "unfinished." For the first time, I felt I had found a tangible expression of something I had struggled to describe. What fascinated me about *non finito* was that it wasn't about failure or incompletion. Instead, it revealed the beauty of the creative process itself, allowing the raw material, the marks of making, and the artist's hand to remain visible. Michelangelo was the first to transform non finito into a philosophy. Rather than seeing a block of marble, he believed the sculpture already existed within it, and that his role was simply to release it. Later, artists such as Auguste Rodin embraced the unfinished as a way of expressing emotion and humanity. During the twentieth century, artists including Alberto Giacometti, Constantin Brâncuși, and Lucio Fontana continued this dialogue, revealing process rather than perfection. Wanting to understand whether this artistic language still exists in contemporary practice, I discovered the work of Richard Serra. Although often associated with Minimalism, Serra's sculptures are not simply objects they are physical experiences. What captivated me most was Intersection II. Despite its monumental scale and powerful presence, it conveys a sense of incompleteness. The different elements never fully resolve; they remain open, fragmented, and in constant dialogue with one another. Looking at the work, I recognized the same feeling of exhaustion that had led me to begin this research. This project is my attempt to translate that feeling into a system of garments. I want to communicate my experience of exhaustion while also revealing the beauty that exists within it. Just as non finito allows the raw material to remain visible, I wanted leather to retain its own presence throughout the making process. Rather than concealing the material, I chose to let the garments emerge from it.
