For the Love of Shoes at Bus Stop

Fri., Feb. 25, 5:30-8:30 p.m., free, through April 1, Bus Stop, 750 S. Fourth St., 215-627-2357, busstopboutique.com.

by Julia West

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Published: Feb 23, 2011

Some shoes inspire outfits, others inspire stories and, in the case of artist Aubrie Costello, shoes have been the muse for an entire art installation. This week, the Moore College of Art & Design graduate presents her latest work, "For the Love of Shoes," at Queen Village shoe boutique Bus Stop. It's a holy matrimony of fashion and art; a hybrid of short stories reverberated on the walls in two-dimensional work; and a window installation of fabulous footwear and silk graffiti. Costello accomplishes this feat by shredding silk and hanging it to form text, balancing bold block letters with delicate fibers. These strips drip from the edges of each character to create an authentic — if not richly enhanced — version of the writing on the walls. "The drawings and paintings are a nod to things happening in the story," she says. With phrases like "Clack went the little twig heels," the viewer gets pulled into this story before even reading it.

Costello sees her exhibition as a slight departure from her typical medium, but she can trace its evolution. "I've always kind of been writing," she says. "My drawings are narratives themselves, almost like stills from a movie." It seems a natural progression, then, that she would pick up a pen to write a story. But one told through the soles of three different pairs of kicks? That's natural, too. Like any good Shopping Spree'er, Costello allows herself the indulgent pleasure of shoe obsession. "I've always loved shoes. When I was at Moore I was drawing naked ladies under piles of stilettos." In other words, prepare yourself for a lip-biting, shoe-lusting art rush.

Opening reception Fri., Feb. 25, 5:30-8:30 p.m., free, through April 1, Bus Stop, 750 S. Fourth St., 215-627-2357, busstopboutique.com.

(julia.west@citypaper.net)

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