ANDREAS GURSKY
October 7th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
Artist Feature, vol. 2
Installation Shot
I first learned about the German photographer when a professor of mine suggested I look at his work. He knew I was majoring in architecture and was trying to motivate me towards this genre. I didn’t find it too compelling. I thought it was too restrictive. Then, I saw the beauty in restriction when I observed the seemingly infinite repetition and grand scale of Gursky’s work.
Architecture is expressed through space and form. I was trying to devise a method to express this third dimension in a 2d format that would be more than a formal study of composition. I wanted to convey a sense of grandeur and space. I wanted the viewer to get a sense of what a space feels like when you are inside of it. Sure, this all sounds great and dandy in writing but to actually achieve it proved a more daunting task.
Andreas Gursky’s work impresses me for I feel it captures the monumentality of architecture I was trying to achieve through photography.
(c) Andreas Gursky - Kamiokande, 2007
(c) Andreas Gursky - Image of catalogue, showing 99 Cent II Diptychon, 2001
(c) Andreas Gursky - Chicago Board of Trade II, 1999
(c) Andreas Gursky - Rhein II, 1999, C-print
(c) Andreas Gursky - Image of catalogue, showing F1 Boxenstopp 1, 2007
(c) Andreas Gursky - Pyongyang III, 2007
(c) Andreas Gursky - Pyongyang II, Diptychon, 2007
(c) Andreas Gursky - Untitled XV, 2008
(c) Andreas Gursky - Untitled IX, 1998
(c) Andreas Gursky - Love Parade, 2001
(c) Andreas Gursky - James Bond Island III, 2007
(c) Andreas Gursky - Bahrain I, 2005
(c) Andreas Gursky - Shanghai, 2000, C-print
(c) Andreas Gursky - Ocean II, 2010
Installation Shot II
Gagosian Gallery Installation Shot
For more on Andreas Gursky and his work please visit:
White Cube Gallery – London
Gagosian Gallery – Los Angeles
Sprueth Magers – Berlin, London
DESIGN TREND: ON WALLS
September 21st, 2010 § 2 Comments
STENCILS + DECALS
So I was shopping at West Elm this weekend and found a great book on DIY stencils. It featured abstract patterns of all sorts that one can easily use to create really graphic prints on walls, furniture, notebooks, whatever! The possibilities got me pretty excited so I wanted to spread the news.
Most recently I’ve also seen DECALS everywhere I turn since they offer another practical and affordable alternative to wall coverings and art. The site DESIGNWITHAZ provides awesome choices from animal themes to writable chalkboard decals! Check out some of their designs below:
World Is Yours chalkboard decal at $155
Poppies at $23
Lips Mirror at $65
Metro Parisien at $28
16 (5" diam) circles at $28
Tree Cliff at $48
Pia! Pia! Pia! at $35
PS: You can also choose from a variety of 24 different colors, several different sizes, and you have the option to reverse the design.
Other online resources for decals:
Dali Decals – for more general graphics
Blik – for more funky and unique designs!
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1ST DIBS ON VINTAGE FINDS
September 12th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
Some of my top picks from 1ST DIBS!
1ST DIBS is a website that consolidates the listings of the best antique dealers all around the States. I don’t mean just the Baroque or Neo-classical pieces that come straight to mind when hearing “antiques”. Though 1st dibs does carry beautiful pre-20th Century designs, I’m mostly excited by the Art Deco, Hollywood Glam, and Mid century – Modern finds.
Each object on 1st dibs is a design relic – they’re the real deal. I love to browse through the listings simply to observe the beauty of the details and finishes of each piece. This has brought me better familiarization with the elements of each era of furniture design (such as materials, forms, colors, ornamentation, etc) and has totally changed the way I look at contemporary design.
Now when I peruse the pages of catalogs I have the “classics” in mind so I know where the recent designs are evolving from!
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[Images above from top left: Florence Knoll credenza $8,500, Swedish gondola arm chair 1940, Art Deco iron door and transom,"Gerosa" by Joe Richards realist oil painting, Continental brass lamp 1970, Geometric brass wall sculpture from 1970's $750, Dorothy Draper chest from 1950's, Papa Bear chair by Hans Wegner $14,500, Angelo Donghia low table from 1970's, Org table by Fabio Novembre 2001, Mark Shaw portrait of Coco Chanel #7, Paris, 1957 $800]
More of my top picks from 1ST DIBS
[Images above from top left: French 1950s metal chairs, Modeline 1960's white table lamp, Italian 1950's white ceramic & gilt jars $550, Nude sculpture from 1960's $1,800, John Vesey's Maximilian chair 1959, Convex mirror wall sculpture 1972 $8,500, Jackie Carson "Desert Dawn" acrylic on canvas, Max Ingrand for Fontana Arte 16 light pendant, Tiffany & Co. antique 18K gold letter opener, WWII US naval telescope, Dining table by J. C. Moreux, Beijing bedside chest, Vintage nickel chair by Warren Platner for Knoll 1980, Plexiglass vase fish tank by Nicola L. $2,800]
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To preview these designs and so many more, VISIT: www.1stdibs.com
P.S. Don’t miss Introspective Magazine (the online mag on designers, their inspirations, styles and favorites) !!!
Artist Feature, vol. 1
September 4th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
A N I S H K A P O O R
Svayambh 2007
Born in Bombay in 1954 the Indian sculptor has lived in London since the early 70's where he studied at the Hornsey College of Art and Chelsea School of Art Design.
Untitled, 2010
Tall Tree & The Eye, 2009
Shooting Into The Camera, 2008-09
Sky Mirror, 2006
Marsupial, 2006
Dark Brother, 2006
Cloud Gate, 2004
Origin du Monde, 2004
Imagine Blue, 2003
At The Edge of The World, 1998
Iris, 1998
My Body is Your Body, 1993
When I am Pregnant, 1992
Mother As A Mountain, 1985
Over the past twenty years Anish Kapoor has exhibited extensively in London and all over the world. His solo shows have included venues such as Kunsthalle Basel, Tate Gallery and Hayward Gallery in London, Reina Sofia in Madrid, CAPC in Bordeaux and most recently Haus der Kunst in Munich. He has also participated internationally in many group shows including the Whitechapel Art Gallery, The Royal Academy and Serpentine Gallery in London, Documenta IX in Kassel, Moderna Museet in Stockholm and Jeu de Paume and Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.
Anish Kapoor was awarded the ‘Premio Duemila’ at the Venice Biennale in 1990, the Turner Prize Award in 1991 and was awarded an Honorary Fellowship at the London Institute in 1997 and a CBE in 2003. He is represented by the Lisson Gallery, London, Barbara Gladstone Gallery, New York and Galleria Continua and Galleria Massimo Minini, Italy.
Anish Kapoor lives and works in London, UK.
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UH… THE “BLUE” ROOM GOES WHITE
August 23rd, 2010 § 1 Comment
The White "Blue" Room
Ok, ok so the entire past week I was going back and forth between paint samples of the Marie Antoinette blues. The night before painting this room I had this VISION.
Given the programmatic needs of the space (ART STUDIO) I had been playing with the idea of white. However, I desperately wanted some color since I’ve been so blinded by minimalism for the past 5 years. In the end though, needs must prevail and aesthetic choices must follow.
F O R M < F U N C T I O N
STUDIO MAKEOVER
August 9th, 2010 § 1 Comment
MAKING IT THE BLUE ROOM
Marie Antoinette
So I have been itching to organize and decorate this studio for years. Until recently, this space has mostly been used as a large storage closet for the junk that our family has collected over the years (notebooks from our school days, broken electronics, boardgames, my rolls and rolls of drawings from architecture school, and endless trinkets).
I finally began organizing and putting an end to this reality show of a mess almost a year ago. Now I have the shelves up and most of the books, magazines, and craft materials organized on them. However, the room still lacks that finished touch. Given the Mediterranean context of the home I felt it would have been a bit drastic if I ripped out the carpet and left exposed concrete floors and painted the room chartreuse. Instead, I’ve been toying with the idea of this Marie-Antoinette-inspired drawing room.
The Drawing Room
At first the walls were to be painted a muted coral that would seamlessly blend with the warm tones of the rest of the home. However I realized it is precisely this “beige-yness” that has been bothering me. Then I conceptualized something radical – what if I redecorate the entire house? OK, not the entire house. But perhaps the hallways and the master bedroom and switch out some accessories downstairs to liven it up a bit. One space at a time this seems perfectly feasible (and enjoyable).
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PAINT SELECTION
"Spa 500C-3" from Behr
COLOR CHIP - 500C
TESTING SAMPLES ON WALL
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QUICK BEFORE & AFTER SHOTS
BEFORE
AFTER
HOLGA, WHO?
August 8th, 2010 § 2 Comments
TOY CAMERAS IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Toy cameras, as they are lovingly referred, were first discovered by North Americans in the 1960′s. Originally fabricated in China, these inexpensive cameras contain the most rudimentary elements necessary for photography resulting in images full of distortions.
So why are they still being produced and why are people like me interested in them?
Holga 120 gfcn
In this day and age of ever-escalating Megapixels low-tech cameras, such as the Holga and the Diana, are utilized specifically for the unpredictable kinks inherent in these cameras.
Camera technologies continue to become more complex with every passing moment . It is apparently (for those of us trying to keep up) an effort so furious and urgent that it closely ties only the race to cure cancer or the release of the next iphone (8g – do you have a 4g? I’m sorry you’re way behind already. I know, I know, you got yours today.)
Toy cameras are exactly on the other end of this spectrum where aesthetic effects such as vignetting, blur, and light leakage produced from these “imperfections” are embraced and essentially take total prominence over the technological reliability and precision offered by digital photography. Since these cameras also allow its users to explore medium format film using really affordable gear (Holga 120N on Amazon.com $21.50) many amateurs and artists alike have been playing with these “toys”. The results are remarkable and have inspired me to purchase my very own.
Image from Flickr
FYI: Medium format film (typically 6 x 4.5 cm or 6 x 6 cm) is larger than regular film (24 x 36mm) though smaller than large format film (4″x5″). The larger the film/negative, the bigger you can enlarge the print (similar to Megapixels in digital cameras).
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TO GET YOUR OWN TOY CAM:
Amazon.com – for a vintage find
Urban Outfitters – for a new baby as seen below
Diana, Urban Outfitters
Holga, Urban Outfitters
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MORE INFO:
EYES ON: Serpentine Pavillion
August 5th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
JEAN NOUVEL ROUGE
Jean Nouvel 2010, Photo by John Offenbach (c)
This year the Serpentine Gallery commissioned French celebrity architect Jean Nouvel to design the pavilion across from the Gallery at Kensington Gardens in London. In 2000 the Gallery began the program commissioning temporary structures to be designed and implemented by well-known international architects who do not have any previous projects in England at the time of the commission.
Nouvel’s pavilion is a simple architectural feat composed of several rectilinear layers covered in a red mirrored surface. The structural component is simplified and instead, the pavilion relies heavily on the use of the intense repetition of color and the glossy reflections of the natural surroundings to achieve it’s desired effect.
How does 2010′s Nouvel design compare against previous pavilions?
SANAA 2009, Serpentine Pavilion
Last year SANAA’s reflective design was Barcelona Pavillion meets Casa de Canoas and they go on a weekend trip to Tokyo.
Being that I’m not a major Gehry fan, the 2008 Pavillion, to me, looks like an exploding wooden instrument – But hey, it’s Gehry. That’s probably just what he was going for!
2007 saw better times when Olafur Eliasson and Kjetil Thorsen took a shot at the commission and came up with an oval space resembling the exterior of a flying saucer and the interiors of a volcano. Covered in triangular panels of dark wood the pavilion featured stepped multilayered seating with a peaking oculus and a long horizontal opening guarded by millions of thin ropes that twist and turn.
KOOLHAAS 2006, Serpentine Pavilion
Perhaps it was Rem Koolhaas’s 2006 Serpentine Pavillion that inspired his outlandish 2009 Prada Transfomer implemented in Seoul, Korea immediately adjacent to the conservative Gyeonghui Palace.
Koolhaas designed a circular plexiglass exterior shell and suspended 4 art-covered panels inside through attaching them to the likes of a hot air balloon above. In 2009 his mind was still rolling as he nonchalantly proposed the project to Prada.
2009 SANAA
2008 Frank Gehry
2007 Eliasson & Thorsen
2006 Koolhas
2005 Siza & Soto de Moura
2003 Niemeyer
2002 Toyo Ito
2001 Libeskind
2000 Zaha Hadid
MORE OF NOUVEL’S 2010 ROUGE DESIGN
ANGELS & JESUS
August 2nd, 2010 § 1 Comment
RECENT WORKS
Angels & Jesus is an ongoing project of mine. Let it be said that I do not approach the subject from a religious perspective but neither am I an atheist. I don’t seek to offend or to honor. Instead I aim to voyage into the topic of the Unknown.
It may or may not help to know the other title under consideration was “Rock n’ Roll Jesus”. However, I realized techno Jesus would have been more appropriate though given my dislike of I techno I soon ruled out the musical genre idea altogether. Instead I chose to rely on the obvious. The rest is then up to you.
The following photos are a few of my most recent explorations.
Eugenio Recuenco
August 1st, 2010 § Leave a Comment
Eugenio Recuenco
Today I wanted to showcase one of my absolutely favorite photographers.
I first saw his work in a series he did for Vogue entitled “Cuentos” where he reinvisioned and brought to life classic fairytales such as Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella. These images brought me so much curiosity that I looked him up only to find an extremely rich body of work that further sparked my interest.
Pulling on diverse references ranging from Batman, to orientalism and early sci-fi, Recuenco always brings a sense of whim and other worldliness to his images. His photographs are highly theatrical but it is their resemblence to paintings that I often find most striking.
His use of light, color and composition reminds me of the work of the Spanish masters more than any precedents in photography. It is all these elements that somehow have magically combined to form Eugenio Recuenco’s genius.
Eugenio Recuenco
Eugenio Recuenco
Eugenio Recuenco
Eugenio Recuenco
Eugenio Recuenco
Eugenio Recuenco
Eugenio Recuenco
Eugenio Recuenco
Eugenio Recuenco
Eugenio Recuenco
Eugenio Recuenco
Eugenio Recuenco
