KENGO KUMA: The Starbucks
March 16th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
One of the things I most loved about Japan was unexpectedly discovering the most spectacular contemporary buildings sitting on quiet corners.
I love the work of many Japanese architects – to me, they set the standard. However, for this post, I wanted to portray the wow factor I’m talking about. As in “Wow… I went to buy a cup of coffee and the Starbucks looked like this!”.
This Starbucks, situated in Fukuoka in Southern Japan, is on a street that leads to one of the most major shrines in Japan, Dazaifu Tenmagu. Traditional 1 – 2 story Japanese buildings line the street. Architect Kengo Kuma sought to harmonize with this townscape by creating a fluid space through the use of an intricate woven system of sticks.
Here, the architect alludes to the traditional use of wooden post-and-beam structures in Classical Japanese Architecture and the system of joinery where wooden edges and pegs are used to secure joints (without the use of metal fasteners for primary structural roles). Also characteristic of Japanese architecture, the structure itself is the main element of the architectural design (it is not hidden within walls but exposed to express form and pattern).
Kengo Kuma’s expressive use of space reminded me of what architecture can do. Working in interiors has its rewards, but I must say, seeing his projects gets my heart racing, mouth watering and quite frankly, makes me miss architecture.
For more of Kengo Kuma’s brilliant work click here!
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Art Basel Miami: The Exhibition
December 9th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
"Like Nectar Attracting Bees" by Makoto Saito
"Lianes de Beauvais" by Sheila Hicks
by graffiti artist BANKSY
Truman Capote in his Studio
"Portrait de femme" by Constantin Brancusi
"Pollen" by Terry Winters on handmade paper
The texture on this was amazing. I was dying to touch it!
"Omphalos" by Dean Byington
"Parakeets" by Ryan McGinley
Video installation by Kate Gilmore
End result
"L'Academie Des Dames" by Francesca DiMattio
Close-up of a Picasso
"Untitled (Marguerites)" ca. 1900 by Eugene Atget
"Purple Beach" by Isca Greenfield - Sanders
Frank Gehry process model
Guillermo Kuitca
Trace in Rio: Street Art
November 29th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Beautiful Posters by RAID 71
October 13th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Today I found British graphic designer, Chris Thornley‘s beautiful illustrated posters. They’re funny and witty with an old school hand-made sensibility that give them a cool indie vibe. For $35 you can purchase one of his original prints at his emporium . All prints are in a limited series of 40.
Hope these will inspire you to do what you do!
XOXO,
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EDWARD WESTON: Clouds, Trees, Water
July 2nd, 2011 § 2 Comments
Artist Feature, vol. 6
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Though Weston is mostly known for his still lifes of inanimate objects such as peppers and cabbage leaves, his landscapes explored the same subject of form that guided most of his work. Here, in Clouds, Trees, Water Weston captured the flora and scenery at Point Lobos,CA and the desert landscape of Oceano,CA.
If you look closely through his images you’ll note why Edward was a part of the f/64 group (which included legendary landscape photographer Ansel Adams). His images often employed the use of deep depth of field allowing for all planes of the images to be crisp and in focus (achieved through closing the aperture to f-stop 64). As in his still lifes, curves, cracks and shadows seem to bring the objects to life as Weston’s compositions create movement, contrast, and texture.
Perhaps intentionally, or not, you can start to see traces of human characteristics in these images. Limbs within clouds. Bodies within trunks. Faces within stones. You back up to recognize your imagination is playing with your sight but nonetheless clues suggesting anthropomorphism are in place. Now I wonder, did Weston see the same mirages and were they what drove him to take these photographs in the first place?
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Oak, 1929
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Iceburg Lake, 1937
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Oregon Coast, 1939
Cypress, Point Lobos, 1929
Cypress, Point Lobos 1930
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Rain over Modoc Lava Beds, 1937
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White Sands, 1946
Oceano, 1936
Tracks in Sand
Untitled Rock Formations
Stonecrop and Cypress, Point Lobos, 1941
White Dune
Surf, 1938
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>PHOTO EXPERIMENTS VOL. 3
>PHOTO EXPERIMENTS VOL. 2
>HIROSHI SUGIMOTO: SEASCAPES
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EDGAR MUELLER: Sidewalk Illusions
May 21st, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Artist Feature vol. 5
This German born artist has been recognized as the master street painter among artists. He uses his knowledge and technique in classical painting to create realistic 3D images on public sidewalks throughout Europe. Mueller‘s work brings the fantastic themes of classical art into our everyday modern world by provoking these incredible encounters on city streets. Imagine walking to your car after work and finding yourself in the middle of one of these incredible settings!
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ART + DESIGN MAY 2011 IN MIAMI
May 9th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
SO WHAT’S GOING ON IN ART AND DESIGN THIS MONTH? First of all, May is Miami Museum Month! The deal is you buy one ticket and get another free (for your buddy, date, lover, sister, grandma, etc.) and if you join one museum you join them all (for this month only of course).
There are plenty of intriguing lectures lined up like the MDPL‘s series on historic green buildings and the Coral Gables Museum’s feature on the work of Cezanne. If you’re in the mood to get those fingers wet the Bass Museum offers awesome Saturday classes! This month’s classes focus on drawing from the masters and watercolor. If you really want to dedicate your time to expressing that creativity MOCA and the Miami Beach Art Center offer an array of them from figure drawing to printmaking.
And for those of you who are really in it for the fun, there’ll be plenty of that too: May 6th is the Miami AIA‘s yearly golf tournament and every Friday the Bass Museum is hosting happy hours with complimentary cocktails and beats by Desiree .
* May 2 – The Floating Stage at the Miami Marine Stadium Awards Ceremony
Join The Friends of the Miami Marine Stadium, DawnTown, The National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Dade Heritage Trust, and the AIA Chapter of Miami, for an evening on Key Biscayne where they will present unique and inventive design ideas for The Floating Stage at Miami Marine Stadium 2011 DawnTown Competition Awards Ceremony.
Ceremony is to take place at The Rusty Pelican, 3201 Rickenbacker Cswy, Key Biscayne, FL 33149. 5:30 – 6:30pm – Cocktail hour, cash bar, entries displayed 6:30 – 7:30pm – 3 Course Dinner @ $30.00 a seat 7:30 – 9:00pm – Awards Ceremony Presentation Tickets for the event must be purchased by April 25th.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please contact the Dade Heritage Trust at 305.358.9572
http://www.aiamiami.com/miami/calenders.php
* May 6 – 18th Annual AIA Miami Golf Tournament
@ the Melreese Country Club
It’ll be a great day of golf, networking and refreshments followed by a banquet dinner with prizes and awards. Sponsorship opportunities. Please call the AIA Miami office for more information 305.448.7488
http://www.aiamiami.com/miami/calenders.php
* May 6 – Beats After Sunset
Friday, 8:00 – 10:00 pm @ the Bass Art Museum
The Bass Museum’s First Friday Happy Hour! A new exhibition will be on view so you’ll have the opportunity to glance over the new pieces.
* free to members!
* cost of museum admission for non-members $8
* complimentary mixologist and magners irish cider (21+)
* beats by desiree
for more info
call: 305.673.7530 x1001
email: rsvp@bassmuseum.org
* May 7 – Designed for Learning
10:30 am @ the Wolfsonian
Do the buildings where learning takes place matter as much as the teachers in them? Can a “smartly” designed building improve students’ education? Join Jos Boys, PhD, senior research fellow in Learning Spaces at the University of Brighton, UK, and Anne P. Taylor, PhD, Hon. AIA, ACSA distinguished professor and regents professor in the School of Architecture and Planning, University of New Mexico, for a discussion addressing the relationships between learning and the spaces in which it takes place. Reception and book signing with Anne Taylor and Jos Boys to follow in The Dynamo Museum Shop. Co-presented with Architecture Club– AIA Miami. CEU credits available. Free.
* May 7 – Pablo Cano: The Seven Wonders of the Modern World
4:00 pm @ the MOCA
Advance Ticket Purchase Required.
Members $10, Non-members $15: Children under 12: $3
* May 7 – Art Center’s Annual Raffle Fundraiser
7:00 – 10:00 PM @ the Art Center on Lincoln Road
ArtCenter’s annual raffle fundraiser, Winning Art!, features 40 works of ArtCenter/ South Florida resident artists. Join us for our annual benefit raffle exhibit, Winning Art!, a show where our talented artists-in-residence created special art just for you. Explore the visual variety of the artists that make ArtCenter/ South Florida and purchase a raffle ticket for your chance to win a unique piece of art. Celebrate with us on Saturday, May 7, 2011 from 7 – 10 p.m. for an evening of music, fabulous fare, complimentary cocktails, a silent auction and raffle drawing for over 40 winners! Purchase your raffle ticket today for only $10. Artwork is on view from April 8 to May 8, 2011 at the ArtCenter Gallery located at 800 Lincoln Road. Winning Art! On View / April 8 to May 8, 2011. Annual Benefit Raffle Drawing & Closing Reception: Saturday, May 7, 2011 from 7 – 10 p.m.
*A minimum donation of $10 to the ArtCenter or a purchase of (one) raffle ticket will admit you into the closing reception on May 7, 2011. If you already purchased a raffle ticket prior to the closing reception, bring your ticket stub to gain admittance into the event.
* May 11 – Revit Architecture Course (Earn 24 CEUs)
Revit Architecture three day course taught by Digital Drafting Systems will be held at the AIA Miami Chapter office, 275 University Drive. Coral Gables. Registration limited to 8 students, first six students laptop is included. RSVP required. Please call the AIA Miami office for more information 305.448.7488
http://www.aiamiami.com/miami/calenders.php
* May 12 – En Route Pour AixEnProvence
3:00 – 5:00 PM @ the Lowe Art Museum
A lecture by featured artist Alice Goldhagen about her work. $5 admission. Free for Museum members.
* May 14 – Basslab for Emerging Artists Drawing from Art History – Techniques of the Masters
Saturday 2-4pm @ the Bass Museum of Art
basslab for emerging artists: finding your own style and language of expression
this week: drawing from art history- techniques of the masters
work with instructor to improve your art skills and develop ideas that will define your personal creativity. classes are open to students at any skill level, ages 13 through adult. class size is limited. advance registration is recommended.
to register or for more information call 305-673-7530 x1001
email: info@bassmuseum.org
members and basspass members: $10
non-members: $15
http://www.bassmuseum.org/event/basslab-for-emerging-artitsts-drawing-from-art-history-techniques-of-the-masters/
* May 15 – MAM’s “Regarding Nature” Gallery Tours
2:00 – 3:00 pm @ the MAM
Miami Art Museum will offer docent-led tours of “The Wilderness” and “Anchor Gallery: Mark Dion” every first and third Sunday at 2pm. Visitors will explore the boundaries between tamed and untamed nature as well as human attempts to control the South Florida ecosystem. Tours are free with museum admission. For more information, contact education@miamiartmuseum.org or 305.375.4073.
http://www.miamiartmuseum.org/#
* May 16 – Sister Cities International Young Artist Showcase
http://www.mdpl.org/events/special-events/
* May 18 – International Museum Day
12:00 – 5:00 pm @ the Bass Museum of Art
* May 19 – Cezanne’s Trail
7:00 PM @ the Coral Gables Museum
A lecture by Alice Goldhagen on the life and work of French artist and Post-Impressionist painter Paul Cézanne, resident of Aix-en- Provence, sister city to Coral Gables.$5 admission. Free for Museum members.
* May 19 – MDPL Lecture Series: Green Historic Buildings
Thursday, 7:00 PM @ the Art Deco Welcome Center
The lecture series outlines how preservation and the green revolution are coming together to revitalize Miami Beach’s historic properties. This month, Ira Giller, president of Giller & Giller Architects, and Patricia Calasich, LEED AP (Accredited Professional) and president of Altiva Architecture, speak on “Case Studies of The Villa Maria Housing Project & The Waldorf Hotel. Selecting Green Building Materials for Historic Structures”
http://www.mdpl.org/events/special-events/
* May 21 – Wine Wander Wonder Tour & Discussion of Apulian Vases
3:00 – 5:00 pm @ the Bass Museum of Art
members and basspass members: free
non-members: cost of museum admission
$8 | $6 students & seniors
For registration/info call 305.673.7530 x1001 or email: programs@bassmuseum.org
http://www.bassmuseum.org/event/wine-wander-wonder-tour-discussion-apulian-vases/
* May 25 – Arts for All: Wangetchi Mutu Collaged Figures
7:00 pm @ the MOCA
RSVP suggested. Members,$10, Non-members $15 Students with ID $3
* May 28 – Basslab for Emerging Artists Watercolor Techniques
Saturday 2-4pm @ the Bass Museum of Art
basslab for emerging artists: finding your own style and language of expression
this week: watercolor techniques
work with instructor to improve your art skills and develop ideas that will define your personal creativity. classes are open to students at any skill level, ages 13 through adult. class size is limited. advance registration is recommended.
to register or for more information call 305-673-7530 x1001
email: info@bassmuseum.org
members and basspass members: $10
non-members: $15
http://www.bassmuseum.org/event/basslab-for-emerging-artists-watercolor-techniques/
*Miami Museum Month *
BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE — During May, all visitors and locals will be offered “Buy One, Get One Free” admission at participating museums.
JOIN ONE, SEE THEM ALL — During this month-long program, membership at any one of these participating museums will work as a free pass to any of the other museums.
Whether you just joined or have been a member for years, this is an incredible opportunity to museum hop and experience the Miami cultural scene. The cultural scene in Greater Miami and the Beaches is unique and diverse. During May, celebrate Miami Museum Month. This is an incredible opportunity to experience the area’s inspiring museums.
Participating Museums:
HIROSHI SUGIMOTO: Seascapes
March 6th, 2011 § 1 Comment
Artist Feature vol. 4
This past week at the TED Miami event I heard Edith Widder the marine biologist state that more than 90% of the Earth is ocean. Yet there is still so much we do not know about the oceans and the seemingly infinite variety of creatures that inhabit them.
The ocean evokes so many connotations from it’s mighty power and volume to the serene tranquility of it’s vastness. The Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto captured the essence of these waters in his breathtaking meditative series entitled “Seascapes“.
North Atlantic Ocean, Cliffs of Mother I by Sugimoto
Sea of Japan, 1997 by Sugimoto
Aegean Sea, Pillon 1990 by Sugimoto
North Atlantic Ocean, Cape Breton 1996 by Sugimoto
Baltic Sea, near Rugen, 1996 by Sugimoto
Ligurian Sea, near Saviore 1993 by Sugimoto
” Water and air. So very commonplace are these substances, they hardly attract attention―and yet they vouchsafe our very existence.
The beginnings of life are shrouded in myth: Let there water and air. Living phenomena spontaneously generated from water and air in the presence of light, though that could just as easily suggest random coincidence as a Deity. Let’s just say that there happened to be a planet with water and air in our solar system, and moreover at precisely the right distance from the sun for the temperatures required to coax forth life. While hardly inconceivable that at least one such planet should exist in the vast reaches of universe, we search in vain for another similar example.
Mystery of mysteries, water and air are right there before us in the sea. Every time I view the sea, I feel a calming sense of security, as if visiting my ancestral home; I embark on a voyage of seeing. “
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VIK MUNIZ & Wasteland
February 6th, 2011 § 5 Comments
Artist Feature, vol. 3
"Marat (Sebastiao)" Vik Muniz, 2008
If you haven’t yet heard, this Brazilian native turned world-renowned visual artist went to one of the largest dumpsters in the world (Jardim Gramacho outside of Rio de Janeiro) to create portraits of the “catadores”. The catadores are the individuals who work at the site separating recyclable materials from general waste. This 2011 Oscar nominated documentary entitled “Wasteland” shows Vik and his colleagues throughout the course of a year getting to know each of these characters and their lives as he develops an “image” for the project.
He decides to depict each of them in a series called “Pictures of Garbage” through iconic images of art history such as Jacques-Louis David’s 1793 “The Death of Marat” for Marat (Sebastiao), Pablo Picasso’s 1904 “Woman Ironing” for “Woman Ironing (Isis)” and Atlas, the Titan who held up the world for “Atlas (Carla0)”. This remaking of iconic images has of course been done before. Vik’s originality here lies, as in most of his work, in his choice of medium and context. He photographs these images then projects them from say 40 feet in the air down to the ground. He and the catadores then arrange hundreds of objects found in the landfill to recreate the image out of pure waste. This final sculptural piece is photographed and becomes the final image.
The work is thought provoking and inspiring as his process changes the way we think art is created and achieved. But truly the most impactful aspect of the documentary is the dignity and relentless spirit of the catadores Vik encounters and how this inspires his work and allows for a victorious finale that brings hope and change to the desolate circumstances of life in Jardim Gramacho and to the dreamers, like me, who dream of a better world.
from "Wasteland", view down onto Irma's portrait 2008
from "Pictures of Garbage" 2008
"Saturn Devouring His Son" 2005
Mona Lisa, Peanut Butter and Jelly
from "The Sugar Children Series", 1996
from "Pictures of Clouds"
from "Pictures of People", 2009
"Marylin" 2008
from "Pictures of Earthwork" 2005
Vik Muniz
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WILD BEASTS: ” Les Fauves”
January 27th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Mme Matisse: Madras Rouge, 1907 Henri Matisse
Before ever knowing what I was looking at, every time I have ever seen a work by Matisse I have been overwhelmingly intrigued. Though the artist tends to have painted traditional subjects such as portraits, landscapes and still lifes (as opposed to creating pure abstractions), his use of un-naturalistic vibrant colors and “undisguised brushstrokes” produces something entirely unique. Though I personally enjoy some abstraction, the distortion of reality to express emotion draws me in as it introduces new possibilities to the world I see around me. Is my skin really tan? Is the sky always blue? Is the grass always green?
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- A photo professor of mine once said poetically, “In 1st grade they took away all your joy”. They taught us to make stick figures represent people. They taught us the colors of the objects around us. They taught us symbols to facilitate identification. The problem is, they also took away our full capacity for seeing. From then on we started to see the world not with the infinite details of existence but through the filters we use to facilitate labeling and definition. To define is to kill all the other possibilities.
FAUVISM reminds me to look beyond the symbols.
Nasturtiums with the Painting "Dance", 1912 Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse (1869 – 1954), the leader of the Fauves, focused on creating images based not on three dimensional space but rather on color planes. He came to these ideas after exploring the works of Post – Impressionists such as Van Gogh and Cezanne as well as Neo – Impressionists such as Seurat and Signac. Meurice de Vlaminck was another Fauve recognized for his exuberant interpretations while Andre Derain was another major Fauve that practiced a more restrained style.
Other important Fauvists were Kees van Dongen, Charles Camoin, Henri-Charles Manguin, Othon Friesz, Jean Puy, Louis Valtat, and Georges Rouault. These were joined in 1906 by Georges Braque and Raoul Dufy.
Often compared to German Expressionism, Fauvism also uses color to express emotion though it’s German cousin tends to focus less on “formal aspects of pictorial organization”.
Though most of the Fauves painted in this way temporarily as they later transitioned into another style (many moving into Cubism with Picasso and Braque), Matisse remained loyal to this view throughout his lifetime and continued to uphold and develop the values of Fauvism in his work.
Still Life with Vegetables, 1905-6 Henri Matisse
La Musique, 1939 Henri Matisse
The River Seine at Chatou, 1906 Maurice de Vlaminck
Andre Derain, 1906 by Maurice de Vlaminck
Promenade Among the Olive Trees, 1905-6 Henri Matisse
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