In Gargoyles, Simon Marsiglia observes garments in limbo: those that are already worn, left behind, and portrayed for the sake of being offered on the secondary market. These images are not staged fashion editorials, but have a functional purpose, attempting to showcase an item well enough to pass it on. However, as a by-product, they reveal something else within their frames: a glimpse, a flicker, a portal.

Expanding on his previous project, Precious Ghosts, which invited individuals to share personal stories tied to garments, Gargoyles takes a different approach. It abandons direct testimony in favour of suggestion. Here, there are no names or known stories; instead, they offer something else: a droplet of the seller’s life.

Some works capture the outline of a shoe or a bag, while others dissolve into light, texture, and reflection. The Comme des Garçons PLAY heart character appears not as a stylistic choice but as a nod to its recurring presence in the source material. Frequently encountered while browsing resale platforms, the symbol began to take on the role of a guardian, keeping an eye on all the other garments. The idea of the guardian extends beyond the heart character. Though no longer in circulation, these items stay present, quietly observing like gargoyles perched on a cathedral, protecting the personal traces left behind.

Marsiglia frames the everyday object as an opportunity to encourage a shift from passive consumption to active reflection, from product to portal. In this exhibition, garments are no longer worn, but are not empty. They continue to hold shape, soul, and story waiting to be seen again, differently. Marsiglia refers to these images as “found footage”, showcasing the garments caught between users, suspended in limbo. He perpetuates them, giving back materiality, tactility, and care to what was meant to be fleeting.

Gargoyles is not a nostalgic gesture. Instead, it proposes a different way of relating to garments rooted in empathy, imagination, and close observation. In a system designed to accelerate replacement and forget the immediate past, Marsiglia slows the cycle and poses the question: What if we observed our discarded items with the same intensity as those from the latest season? And what stories might emerge from the margins?

Text by Karime Salame

More about Simon Marsiglia:

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Listen to the podcast 'BAG TALK with Elizaveta Federmesser' on 'Anthropomorphic treatment + clothes discovery channel w Simon Marsiglia'