By Neal Buccino, Senior Public Information Officer

Phillipe Valy

Valy Jacket

Valy Hat

Autographed jacket

Even Shrek signed

During New York Fashion Week 2015, running now through September  17,  style creators and fashion geeks from around the world preview  the season’s upcoming fashion collections.  In celebration of the tradition, a surrealist artist and a hip-hop style visionary have combined forces to bring their fashion brand and unique art sensibility to the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

That’s right, the bus terminal.

David Zelikofksy of CATM New York, who represents surrealist painter Philippe Valy and the emerging lifestyle brand SilentK, believes the midtown terminal is an ideal place for artists to showcase their work to people from all walks of life.  It is “a gateway for vast demographics within the tri-state area and beyond” and offers “a unique playground for the multi-talented artist,” he said in a recent press release.

Works by Valy and SilentK can be seen through the end of September in the glass-enclosed display areas in the bus terminal’s Main Floor.  The display is located within the terminal at 40^th Street and Eighth Avenue, near the Ninth Avenue entrance just south of the main ticketing area.  When Valy’s fashion works are removed at the end of this month, they will be replaced by a collection of his paintings until the end of October.

Commissioned art and cultural exhibits are nothing new to the Port Authority Bus Terminal.  For example, George Segal’s life-size sculpture of three travelers in line at a boarding gate is on permanent exhibit in the South Wing of the terminal.  The sculpture was a juried selection in an international competition that attracted more than 100 entries.

The Valy exhibit, a perfect choice during Fashion Week, is a collection of his wearable artworks – jackets, a dress and other garments painted and decorated with faces, abstract designs and vibrant colors that evoke a sense of playful anarchy in a nod to the influences of Picasso and Peter Max.

A-list celebrities such as Viola Davis, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta Jones and others have autographed the works, which were created originally for past Drama Desk Awards events (another New York tradition) as a kind of living art exhibit.  At the 55^th annual Drama Desk Awards in 2010, for example, a model wore the dress with multicolored paint patches and Cubist-inspired human faces and invited guests to contribute to the artwork by signing it.

Valy’s installation includes garments as well as poster-size photos of celebrities who’ve admired and signed the dress in a demonstration of what Zelikofsky calls Valy’s “unique interpretation of celebrity status.”  He continued, “Through the combination of celebrity autography and vibrant slashes of color technichrome, Valy brings us the excitement of the red carpet.”

Back-to-back with the Valy exhibit is the SilentK display, a collection of mannequins wearing the hip-hop inspired styles of this New York City-based lifestyle brand.  Zelikofsky described SilentK as “a maniacially playful and mischievous urban legend taking root during Fashion Week 2015 and launching globally in 2016.”   SilentK’s shirts, jeans, dresses, and shoes are based on hip-hop styles that are intended to emphasize the dignity of those wearing the experimental and bold designs.

A slice of New York Fashion Week at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.  Should you pass through the terminal, be sure to take time to experience the exhibit.