Art
PAN Amsterdam 2024 – Opening the Treasure Trove of the Dutch Art World
PAN Amsterdam is returning for its 37th exhibition!
The Netherland's leading fair in art, antiques and design with more than 45.000 visitors each year is happening again. The especially exciting edition coincides with Amsterdam’s 750th anniversary and gives a peek behind the curtain of the history and present of this heart of culture throughout time. Taking place from November 24th until December 1st this hotspot for the state of art in the Dutch sphere should not be missed. Boasting 125 participating antique dealers, art dealers and galleries, this event invites visitors to immerse themselves into the world of art and curiosities. From Bob Bonies to Damien Hirst, from Jan Cremer to Karel Appel and From Reigning Queens to 18th century silver, everything you could desire can be found accessible in the RAI exhibition center. This edition put a special focus on platforming new and emerging talents in addition to historical artifacts and the stars of the art world, to give an accurate and invigorating look at art today.
The artistic treasure trove is complemented by lectures and talks on various topics. The 40 panels throughout the week range from arts and kids, introducing young children to art through play, to her-story, a critical exploration into the forgotten women of the art world. From a deep dive into Amsterdam as a cultural center throughout history – fit for the city’s 750th anniversary – to traveling as inspiration in art there is something for everyone and every taste.
For those who not only seek to look but also to buy, PAN offers a guarantee of authenticity as each piece has been vetted by a team of 80 independent judges.
www.pan.nl
Art
Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades at Design Miami.Paris 2024
Louis Vuitton proudly declares the presentation of ‘Objets Nomades’ for Design Miami.Paris, starting from today. The novel exhibition, an homage to the Objets Nomades collection and the Maison’s established creative collaboration with Estúdio Campana, with the design studio celebrating 40 years of their creative endeavor in 2024.
The exhibition unveils a Louis Vuitton apartment and commemorates the Brazilian design duo’s – Estúdio Campana’s work. The pieces, envisioned by the most renowned international designers since 2012, have been inspired by the transformative beauty and power lying in the art of travel.
The Objets Nomades, designed by Estùdio Campana, in all their artistic magnificence, showcasing excellent craftsmanship, masterful application of color and materials of the finest quality. All throughout visible – the red thread of Louis Vuitton’s heritage. Even the Monogram canvas of 1896 – inspired by the Orientalist designs of the Victorian period – reflects a deep curiosity and magnetic attraction to cultural diversity, as fueling the designer’s process of creating, states Humberto Campana.
Above all, the collaboration between the Maison and Estúdio Campana is based on a common understanding – a bold approach to art and design. A collective resolve to depart from the well-trodden paths of others, stepping beyond the confines of comfort to chart unexplored territories.
The exhibition will be held at LV Dream, as part of Design Miami.Paris, from the 16th to 20th of October 2024, from 11 AM to 8 PM. Information and booking: LV DREAM | LOUIS VUITTON
Art
Paris, Texas
Pursuing on its long-standing support for the arts, CHANEL is this time focusing on the 7th Art by supporting the restoration of "Paris, Texas."
Directed by Wim Wenders, this filmographic masterpiece won the Palme d'Or in 1984.
This initiative reflects the House’s commitment to supporting artists across all artistic disciplines. The restored version of "Paris, Texas" premiered in the Cannes Classics category at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, celebrating the 40th anniversary of its Palme d'Or win.
“Paris, Texas” is a moving drama directed by Wim Wenders in 1984. The film tells the story of Travis Henderson, a taciturn man found wandering in the desert after four years missing. Reunited with his brother Walt, Travis tries to rebuild his life and reconnect with his young son Hunter. Together, they embark on a journey to find Jane, Hunter's mother and Travis's former wife.
The film explores themes of redemption, family and identity through striking American landscapes while capturing the essence of the American dream and fractured human relationships.
www.chanel.com
Art
GRAU - Milan Design Week 2024
Not only does the lamp boast a unique appearance, but its name is also one of a kind: Fire. Designed by GRAU, a lighting design project, the Fire features both an iconic soft visual and great functionality with fast charging. “Fire is the biggest milestone of our work so far. We are launching a new kind of lighting experience and are convinced that Fire marks the start of a new era of lighting - the era of living light.” Timon and Melchior Grau, GRAU’s Creative Directors. Fire was designed to offer an uncompromising lighting experience that reinvents the design and user experience of a classic ambient table lamp. Beyond its design, what sets it apart is its special feature of healthy light, free from blue light. The designers ensured that Fire offers warm light free from blue light, which enhances the production of the relaxation hormone melatonin and has a health-promoting effect. Moreover, the lamp features fast charging, fully charging in 2 hours via USB-C Power Delivery. A smart LED indicates the remaining battery life and can provide up to 50 hours of portable light. Obviously, the Fire is a unique piece that you can find during Milan Design Week. The Fire was presented by GRAU during Milan Design Week from April 14th to 17th in an exhibition alongside Bonfire at Via Meravigli 4.
www.grau.art
Art
La Grande Dame 2015 Rosé through the eyes of Paola Paronetto
Veuve Clicquot unveils La Grande Dame Rosé 2015 as an homage to Madame Clicquot's pioneering spirit.
In 1818, she redefined the norm by blending the red wine of "Clos Colin" with white, thus innovating the first blended rosé champagne. This blend harmoniously combines the sunny essence of the 2015 vintage with the depth of pinot noir. Spicy notes of pepper, nutmeg and clove mingle with delicate aromas of red fruit and flowers. To enhance this exceptional product, Veuve Clicquot has entrusted the design of the La Grande Dame Rosé box to a renowned italian artist, Paola Paronetto, for the first time.
As part of the collection of boxes she created for La Grande Dame 2015 en 2023, the artist chose the color "Pesca Chiaro" to sublimate this exceptional rosé champagne. Paola Paronetto's signature color, from her palette of 97 tones, was chosen to express both the depth and vitality of the cuvée.
La Grande Dame 2015 Rosé x Paola Paronetto is available from Clos19.com and in the usual retail stores.
www.veuveclicquot.com
Art
Art Rotterdam 2024 Anniversary
Art Rotterdam, the acclaimed fair for contemporary art in the Netherlands, is set to bid farewell to its iconic venue, the Van Nelle Factory, with a spectacular 25th-anniversary edition from February 1 to February 4, 2024. The milestone event promises a culmination of innovation, talent, and outdoor art installations, marking the end of an era at the historical location. The 12th edition of Prospects, a showcase for 86 budding artists supported by the Mondriaan Fonds, headlines the celebration. This exhibition spans diverse mediums, from traditional paintings to cutting-edge sculptures and videos. Curated by Johan Gustavsson and Louise Bjeldbak Henriksen, it offers a captivating snapshot of contemporary Dutch art, exploring themes of identity, relationships, and our connection with nature. The outdoor exhibition complements the farewell festivities, featuring monumental works such as Tentendorp-Herzien by Studio Dré Wapenaar, RADIATE ||&||| (EVIAN CHRIST) by Joeri Woudstra, and the colossal Vulture by Atelier Van Lieshout. These installations redefine the art experience, engaging viewers in a dynamic and immersive manner. As Art Rotterdam bids adieu to the Van Nelle Factory, the stage is set for a grand finale, a celebration of art, innovation, and the vibrant spirit that has defined the event over its illustrious 25-year journey. The upcoming edition marks not just an end but a transition to new horizons, with Art Rotterdam poised to make Rotterdam Ahoy its home from 2025 onwards.
www.artrotterdam.com
Art
Maison Valentino | Triennale Milano – Italian Painting Today
Maison Valentino extends its commitment to the arts through a strategic partnership with Triennale Milano. Set to coincide with Triennale Milano’s centennial anniversary exhibition, "Pittura Italiana Oggi” (Italian Painting Today), curated by Damiano Gullì opens on October 25th, 2023. It will showcase the works of 120 influential Italian artists from the 1960s to 2000, creating a cultural panorama that reflects the diversity of Italian painting. Notably, five of the featured artists—Benni Bosetto, Guglielmo Castelli, Francis Offman, Andrea Respino, and Sofia Silvia—have previously collaborated with Maison Valentino as part of the Valentino Des Ateliers collection. This haute couture experiment serves as a unique intersection where fashion and art intertwine, expressing unity and community spirit. Valentino's history of collaboration with the arts is extensive, Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli emphasizes the symbiotic relationship rather than merging the two disciplines, he envisions them as separate entities that can engage in a meaningful dialogue. This philosophy is evident in Valentino Des Ateliers, where fine art is translated into exquisite fashion creations. "Pittura Italiana Oggi" will be offering the public an immersive experience in contemporary Italian painting until February 11th, 2024. Maison Valentino's collaboration with Triennale Milano generates a sense of belonging that goes beyond the realm of fashion.
triennale.org/eventi/pittura-italiana
www.valentino.com
Art
Ruinart & Eva Jospin’s Special Night
On April 26th, 2023, the Amtsalon in Berlin was the special setting for the opening of a spectacular pop-up. Every year Ruinart chooses an artist to collaborate with, and, this year, French artist Eva Jospin was given carte blanche. 150 guests celebrated the opening of the Ruinart Maison 1729 in Berlin-Charlottenburg, transporting Reims, the home of Ruinart, to Berlin. During the event, all eyes were on Eva Jospin. The sculptor created a unique installation for Ruinart, titled Promenade(s) en Champagne. Stimulated by the richness and history of the Maison and the Champagne terroir, the exhibition displayed Jospin’s intricate mineral and vegetal landscapes, including a collection of drawings, sculptures, and embroideries. In addition to the Art Gallery, a multi-sensory journey through the Maison 1729 amused the guests. Award-wining Chef of Cuisine Sophia Rudolph of the Lovis Restaurant in Berlin provided culinary highlights with her exquisite Food for Art delicacies, inspired by Jospin’s artwork for Ruinart. The Peruvian Berliner-by-choice DJane Alessandra Denegri provided musical entertainment. The guests of the opening night – including, among others, Christiane Paul, Caro Cult, Ruby O. Fee, Marie von den Benken, and Melissa Khalaj – were left in awe of Jospin’s remarkable creativity and skill. The event and collaboration are a testament to Ruinart’s ability to craft a refined and sophisticated ambiance.
From April 27th to May 2nd, 2023, visitors can immerse themselves in the magical world of the champagne house. Enjoyment of art, culinary delights, and champagne are guaranteed.
www.ruinart.com
Art
Blue Makes Radiofonografo Infinite
Blue is infinite: the color of the endless sky, the relaxing constancy of the ocean’s waves, the four walls of our earth. Since the beginning of art, blue has been an emblem for loyalty, courage, and beauty. Now, the radiofonografo becomes blue. Brionvega will present the latest version of its radiofonografo in a deep, unforgettable blue alongside many other new products at the Salone del Mobile in Milan in April 2023.
Brionvega’s radiofonografo was originally created in 1965 by designers Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, but it is much more than a modern design object. Originally conceived to flawlessly reproduce music, the radiofonografo is a true work of multi-sensory contemporary art. It has become a key figure in stories and memories, an ebullient companion that brings people closer to music and technology.
The radiofonografo was and is a friend for life for some of the greatest icons of the 20th and 21st century. David Bowie was a tireless collector of art of every kind. His love and devotion to the radiofonografo represents one of the greatest tributes to its one-of-a-kind design. Francis Ford Coppola, one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema has expressed his fascination with Brionvega over the years, particularly his admiration for the unmatched performance of the radiofonografo. The radiofonografo has, as such, gained value over time. Owned by icons of the present such as Kendall Jenner, it will continue to prevail as it is passed onto future generations.
www.brionvega.com
Art
Aneta Bartos - Monotropa Terrain
Born in Poland, Aneta Bartos came to the United States in order to get her degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Ever since graduating, she has made a name for herself through her striking imagery that blurs physical and imagined worlds, capturing the surreal space between memory and fiction whilst reimagining how both figures and desire are represented. Her newest exhibition Monotropa Terrain, a two-folded exploration of the deeper and darker nature of the human mind and the functioning of its memory keeps in line with Bartos’ overall work philosophy and approach. The exhibition brings together a large, projected Super8 film with five black and white videos, testimonies of a woman describing her mysterious encounters that question the nature of our accepted reality, raising questions about the supernatural and the ideas of duality. Set in the dark world of the Monotropa, a plant known as ‘ghost pipe’ due to its white, ghostly appearance, the main projection depicts amphibious characters who seem to be in an embryonic process of taking form, merging and splitting, their symbiotic movements reminding the viewer of the sensual and mysterious ballets often seen in early documentaries observing the micro-cosmos of the cell and plant world, immersing the viewers into this otherworldly world.
Monotropa Terrain by Aneta Bartos will be open to the public until February 25, 2023.
www.postmastersart.com
Art
The Swingin' Sixties
The Italian design brand Brionvega is announcing the release of PRIMO, a faithful reproduction of the original RR126 Radio, 55 years on from the release of the original model. The radio-phonograph was designed by brothers Pier Giacomo Castiglioni and Achille Castiglioni in 1964 and eventually became an iconic example of 1960s design movements – examples of it are today on exhibition at places like the MoMA in New York, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Milan Triennale. Coveted by design and vintage lovers alike, the time-honored piece has come to represent a relic of the past, embodying a nostalgia for Italian industrial design and the age of the 1960s. The PRIMO radio-phonograph (product code rr-226 NOCE CANALETTO) brings this past treasure into the modern age. It stays true to its predecessor in many ways, from design and materials to production and manufacturing. Wooden panels sanded with sandpaper, the handcrafted frame made by sand casting, hand-painted frame holes, silk skin print – all elements that, then as now, reflect a high degree of mastery and craftsmanship. The rebirth of the cult object comes in only 100 pieces of the PRIMO radio-phonograph, available in-store in limited edition. HZ
www.brionvega.it
Art
Saint Laurent Rive Droite invites artist Elladj Lincy Deloumeaux
Marking Art Basel Paris +, the Saint Laurent Rive Droite stores in Paris and Los Angeles present a series of specially commissioned artworks created by the artist Elladj Lincy Deloumeaux. The Paris-based artist investigates the relationship between people and ideas, which he addresses in an open and vibrant way in his artworks. With a particular focus on Afro-Caribbean images, he emphasizes aspects of everyday life, mythologies, iconography, beliefs, and religious heritage. His art evokes a dual identity by incorporating found or familiar objects into still life and painting series.
The exhibition was organized in partnership with the Cécile Fakhoury gallery, which has been based in Abidjan since 2012 and in Dakar and Paris since 2018. In order to achieve the goal of promoting contemporary art across the African continent, Cécile Fakhoury is developing a perennial infrastructure thus creating and establishing awareness, creativity, and diversity. The gallery unites artists whose artworks use barrier-breaking language while rejecting geographic stigmatization.
The exhibition includes about thirty artworks, which will be displayed in Paris, and two large artworks in Los Angeles: Antan Lontan and Au bord du ruisseau. JW
www.cecilefakhoury.com
www.ysl.com
Art
Brutus Rotterdam shows impressive installations by Tommy Malekoff and Akeem Smith
Nothing is infinite. The environment surrounding us, our lives as humans, and history are destined to change, even collapse. The constant threat of brutality and impermanence contends with the world we know. The thus created tension is explored in the works of the artists Akeem Smith and Tommy Malekoff. In the exhibition BUILT, on view in Brutus Rotterdam, they present impressive and immersive installations, connecting film and architecture, time and space. Curated by New Canon’s Maxwell Wolf, the exhibition features Queens Street (2020) by Akeem Smith, for which he drew inspiration from archival materials and architectural remnants of his hometown in Kingston Jamaica. The video installation hence juxtaposes past artifacts with the own memory of the artist, creating awareness of beguiling oblivion affecting our memories.
Beyond that, Forever and Forever (2022), an imposing multi-channel video by Malekoff, will be on display at BUILT. It portrays how human intervention has impacted the American landscape up until now. To create this artwork, the artist traveled to the Everglades region of southern Florida, where a raw and primordial wilderness can be found, yet showing clear traces of human life. During his two-year-long journey, he captured footage, which fluctuates between extreme beauty and decimation.
The exhibition BUILT will be open to the public from October 7th to November 20th at Brutus Rotterdam. JW
www.brutus.nl
Art
Brussels Gallery Weekend - Bernadette Chéné at Galerie La Forest Divonne
Starting on Brussels Gallery Weekend, the Galerie La Forest Divonne presents the exhibition L’Un et l’autre by French artist Bernadette Chéné.
The core of this exhibition are sculptures made out of raw and strong materials such as cut metal plates and erected trunks. The creations radiate a timeless beauty as they are displayed under the glass roof, significant to the architecture of the gallery. The sculptures reveal Bernadette Chéné’s abilities as a transmitter of emotion and as a visionary. For her artworks she takes familiar and simple materials, which at first glance do not seem special at all. However, she manages to detect what is extraordinary and beautiful about the material and makes it visible to the visitors. Hence, she evokes a surprising and unexpected effect. Nonetheless, the sculptures seem subtle and discreet. The exhibition L’un et l’autre by Bernadette Chéné will be open to the public from September 8th to October 29th, 2022 at Galerie La Forest Divonne in Brussels. JW
BERNADETTE CHÉNÉ
L’Un et l’autre, exhibition views in Galerie La Forest Divonne
©ECrooÿ
Courtesy of the artist and Galerie La Forest Divonne, Brussels
www.galerielaforestdivonne.com
Art
Brussels Gallery Weekend - Fabrice Monteiro at Didier Claes
Didier Claes returns to Brussels Gallery Weekend this year with a solo exhibition, showing photographs of Belgian/Beninese artist Fabrice Monteiro. The 8 Mile Wall shows a series of portraits as the artist’s favorite form of expression. His works deal with the stereotypes of black people that date back to the time of slavery and colonialism.
When Monteiro was still a child, he had a conversation with his father, which made him realize the subconscious effect of aesthetic details, such as clothing, on how we perceive each other. Many years later this conversation led him to create this series, trying to deconstruct this way of thinking. The title of the series, The 8 Mile Wall, refers to a wall of the same name in Detroit, which runs from 8 Mile Road to Pembroke Avenue for 0.8 kilometers. Built in 1941, the wall was supposed to separate black and white homeowners as black people were not welcome on the other side of it, epitomizing racial discrimination. As his photographs portray his complex heritage, they also illustrate the difficult and ambivalent relationship between Europe and Africa, one of curiosity and rejection. His works aim to break down the hurtful and widely used stereotypes by countering the clichés and presenting black people with dignity as a symbol of mental oppression.
The exhibition The 8 Mile Wall will be open to the public from September 8th to November 11th, 2022 at Didier Claes in Brussels. JW
FABRICE MONTEIRO
Pitit Noir, 2017
Digital art print, 120 x 120 cm
Courtesy of the artists and Didier Claes, Brussels
www.didierclaes.com
Art
Brussels Gallery Weekend - TR Ericsson at Harlan Levey Projects
On Brussels Gallery Weekend, Tom and Sue, an exhibition by TR Ericsson, opens at Harlan Levey Projects. At its center are two extensive artworks: The portraits of Tom and Sue. Besides them, Ericsson’s first painting since 2002 is displayed in the exhibition.
Sue, the mother of the artist Tom (TR Ericsson) is portrayed in a seven-volume book collection of letters written by herself to her son, called All My Love Always No Matter What. The artwork creates the image of a lively and humorous woman, despite the hurdles that life had in store for her. More than 20 years of collecting, organizing, and arranging letters, audio recordings, and video messages eventually led to an artwork, purely narrated by the mother. Ericsson pursues the goal of spreading his mother’s life story through his art, as he perceives his works as a symbol of her love, devotion, and selflessness. The portrait of Tom, the artist himself, consists of 107 oil paintings, created between 1992 and 2002 during an eventful and emotional phase of his life and after which he quit painting for some time. As a kind of self-portrait, the artwork depicts a young man who is searching for himself and his voice. The title Sad Young Man on a Train refers to a cubist painting by Marcel Duchamp from 1911/12, showing a fragmented figure on a moving train.
Exhibited together, the two artworks complement each other, portraying the love between a mother and her child. They tell the stories of two people, directly and inevitably connected to one another; stories of ups and downs, of grief and joy.
The exhibition Tom and Sue by TR Ericsson will be open to the public from September 8th to December 17th, 2022 at Harlan Levey Projects in Brussels. JW
TR ERICSSON
Family Picnic (Sad Young Man on a Train #076), 1992-2002
Oil on linen, 61 x 71,1 cm
Courtesy of the artist and Harlan Levey Projects, Brussels
www.hl-projects.com
Art
The 15th edition of Brussels Gallery Weekend
The annual Brussels Gallery Weekend is returning at the beginning of September, thus presenting the 15th edition of the festival. In the course of the event, 47 art galleries will open their doors to professionals and other art lovers from all around the world, presenting contemporary art in the heart of Europe’s capital. In no previous year have so many galleries participated, showing impressive exhibitions, performances, and installations around the city. For the 15th edition, Brussels Gallery Weekend has chosen to have a main venue as a focal point, which will be located in the former printing plant of the National Bank of Belgium. The unique building will host, amongst other events, the “Sculpture Factory” exhibition and the “Generation Brussels” exhibition, introducing emerging artists from Brussels. Alongside the festival, the traditional “off” programme will be held as well as different talks and other surprises.
“Thanks to its central location and the vitality of the local scene, Brussels plays a prominent role in the contemporary art world, and we seek to further the city’s influence with a spirit of sharing,” explains Sybille du Roy de Blicquy, director of the Brussels Gallery Weekend.
Brussels Gallery Weekend will take place on the weekend of September 8th to September 11th, 2022 in Brussels. JW
image credits: StockkStudio, David Baatzsch
www.brusselsgalleryweekend.com
Art
"The Age / L'Età" by Emma Talbot, Winner of the 8th Edition of the Max Mara Art Prize for Women
Since 2005, Max Mara and Whitechapel Gallery have partnered up to award the Max Mara Art Prize for Women. This is a biannual award supporting UK-based female artists who previously have not had a major solo exhibition, with the goal of promoting female artists and providing them with a platform. As part of the prize, each winning artist is awarded a six-month bespoke residency in Italy organized by Collezione Maramotti in order to create new works and evolve as an artist. Emma Talbot was the winner of the 8th edition of the Max Mara Art Prize for Women. Following her win, Talbot spent her six-month residency in Italy researching textile craftsmanship, permaculture, classical mythology and exploring the countless historic sites and institutions. The resulting body of works of this time is entitled “The Age / L’Età”, which is now on display at the Whitechapel Gallery in London. This new body of work explores the topics of representation and ageing, power and governance, and attitudes towards nature. It is a mixture of different mediums and materials, combining animation, free-hanging painted silk panels, three-dimensional work and drawings. Talbot taught herself animation during the lockdown and the resulting 12-chapter animation is a central part of her exhibition. Inspired by the Twelve Labors of Hercules, her protagonist also has to overcome a series of trials. But different to Hercules, who employed methods of destruction, theft, deceit and murder to overcome his obstacles, her protagonist finds solutions inspired by the 12 principles of permaculture, a practice of living sustainably and ethically with the land.
The exhibition “The Age/L’Età” by Emma Talbot was curated by Laura Smith in collaboration with Wells Fray-Smith and Bina von Stauffenberg and is on display at the Whitechapel Gallery in London until September 4th, 2022. Afterwards, the exhibition will travel to Collezione Maramotti in Reggio Emilia from October 23rd 2022 until February 19th, 2023.
www.collezionemaramotti.org
Art
Cartier Presents “Here we are! Women in Design 1900 - Today”
Cartier presents “Here we are! Women in Design 1900 - Today,” an exclusive exhibition featuring a comprehensive overview that tells the story of women designers from the past 120 years who fought against the rules of a male-dominated society. The new installation features the work of a hundred female designers who have made valued contributions to the development of modern and contemporary design, ranging from female Bauhaus pioneers to famous design masterpieces and women who are actively redefining their profession with sustainable inventions. Among the artists on display are the names of Eileen Gray, Charlotte Perriand, Lilly Reich, and Clara Porset, business leaders like Florence Knoll and Armi Ratia, but also lesser-known figures like the social reformer Jane Addams. The French Maison itself brings significant proof about this topic. Jeanne Toussaint, a pioneer and style icon of the 20th century, was at the helm of Cartier's jewelry collection for decades as its artistic director. Her creations were a symbol of fierce independence that led her to be one of the first women to hold such a prominent position in the industry, a role model for the changing status of women. Precisely for this reason, Jeanne Toussaint’s luxury accessories also appear in the overview as a unique testimony. “Here we are! Women in Design 1900 - Today” will be on view from June 18th to October 30th, 2022. VB
www.cartier.com
Art
STONE ISLAND PROTOTYPE RESEARCH_SERIES 06
Since 2016, Stone Island has created limited editions of garments that, given their complexity of experimentation, are not yet industrializable. The project is called the “Prototype Series,” which focuses on the research of innovative technologies, new fabrics, and treatments. This year for the Milan Design Week, the brand presented the PROTOTYPE RESEARCH_SERIES 06 in collaboration with the Kevlar® consumer brand R&D team. Kevlar® is a synthetic fiber with exceptional strength, hardness, and thermal stability that, when combined with "stretch broken" technology, produces an incredibly fine yarn that can be covered with cotton. For this project, the cotton yarn has been disintegrated using the dévoré printing technique, obtaining an all-over pattern that reveals the characteristically yellow color of the original fiber. The unveiled yarns create a sort of light technical lace. The outcome is innovative, water-repellent items. The installation created by Stone Island features four concentric circles that originate a tunnel that leads the gaze from the macro to the micro, in a distorting lens that allows visitors to discover the hidden of the prototypes. The exhibition will be on view until June 12th, 2022, at Stone Island's showroom in Milan. VB
www.stoneisland.com
Art
Colnago x Tod’s: Riding The Italian Lifestyle
Tod’s has presented a new special project during Salone del Mobile 2022. First, the Italian brand has unveiled the second edition of its iconic products: the Tod’s Tabs sneaker and the two-tone windbreaker. The shoes, recognizable by the use of rubber pebbles on the heel, come in a combination of white monochrome leather and inserts of leather and suede to obtain well-defined contrasts. The jacket is made of technical nylon materials in blue, tobacco, and khaki and embellished with the iconic T-Lion pocket. Then, in partnership with Italian bike maker Colnago, Tod's produced a high-tech bicycle. The Colnago x Tod’s T Bike in carbon fiber features a color palette of greens to oranges. The collaboration, representing the true Made in Italy, celebrates the active spirit and energetic lifestyle of the new generation with a focus on eco-mobility. The limited-edition series of 70 unique T Bikes, and the apparel items, will be available from June 13th on Tod’s website and in select flagship stores worldwide. In addition, the brand boutique in Via Montenapoleone in Milan will also accept Bitcoin cryptocurrency transactions. VB
www.tods.com
Art
Art Rotterdam 2022: Artist From All Over The World
During Art Rotterdam, people will have the possibility to dive into the creations of hundreds of artists from all over the world. From France, UN-SPACED Gallery presents the new work of Lilah Fowler on show in the New Art Section. The British-Japanese artist is famous for her complex and layered installations that represent the geopolitical layers of our globalized virtual and analog landscapes, as well as how these parallel worlds occasionally overlap. Her woven works, photography, sculpture, and video art explore the effects and consequences of technology on contemporary society. The Belgian booth curated by Galerie Felix Frachon, instead, showcases the art pieces by Brazilian artist Mano Penalva. His works are based on everyday objects collected during his many trips to major world cities, especially at popular street markets. These items are, for him, examples of material culture and globalization. What fascinates him is the new, poetic values that these objects gain once they are taken out from their original context. Then, representing the Netherland, one of the galleries that take part at the fair is STEVENSON, presenting the new masterpiece by Viviane Sassen. Her creations are characterized by sculptural representations of bodies, often surreal and anonymous. VB
www.artrotterdam.com
Art
The Mondriaan Fund Presents The Exhibition Prospects During Art Rotterdam
Lovers of contemporary art can once again discover the work of emerging and established artists at Art Rotterdam 2022. This year's exhibition features some unique novelties, from outdoor installations to new projections and the expansion of “Prospects,” the Mondriaan Fund's exhibition. It is the 10th consecutive year that the public fund for visual art and cultural heritage in the Netherlands presents this kind of exhibition showing the work of 88 artists from 19 to 22 May 2022, helping them to kick start their careers thanks to a financial contribution. This time, the exhibition, curated by Johan Gustavsson in collaboration with junior curator Gabija Seiliute, is also on display in the Expedition Building, directly opposite the entrance to Art Rotterdam. Among the work of hundreds of artists from all over the world, the one who particularly stands out is Tarona with her artwork “Pivot.” It is an 11 minutes video that takes a closer look at Black performances in white spaces. Conceived as a contemporary interpretation of the famous "Serpentine Dance" (1899) by the Lumière brothers, the artwork shows a Black performer who resists the expectations of a white audience while dancing expressively in a striking golden dress that almost becomes a character in its own right. The video was made in collaboration with Chanel Vyent, Qianwei Tong, Sam van Eenbergen, Ivan Hidayat, Imane Saksou, Gaea Studio, and de Makeover Factory en Captcha!. VB
www.artrotterdam.com
Art
Kaldewei x Vogue Germany presents #mustsee “Bathscape” by Cristina Celestino
At the Fuorisalone from June 7th till the 12th, the German premium bathroom manufacturer will collaborate with the legendary fashion magazine in presenting the installation “Bathscape” – designed by the Milanese star designer Cristina Celestino. Cristina Celestino founded her studio in Milan in 2013. Since then, she has worked on multiple projects ranging from the areas of living and hotel industry to creative direction and product design. Kaldewei is a German family company that has been creating bathroom solutions combining modern luxury with sustainable thinking, management, and action for over 100 years, now in its fourth generation. The collaboration is already highlighted in the upcoming Milan Furniture Fair #mustsee, taking visitors on a spectacular and highly aesthetic journey through bathroom culture. For Celestino, the project is sculptural research into all aspects of creating and using bathroom furnishings. This investigates what qualities of the modern bathroom transform it into the oasis that we use to recharge our batteries and relax, as well as the importance of ecological and social aspects. This creates a highly topical dialogue as well as showing exciting approaches to a contemporary, luxurious bathroom design. The installation will take place in the vibrant Brera District throughout the duration of the Milan Furniture Fair. GH
www.kaldewei.com
Art
MOLOCH: The New Solo Exhibition by Martin Eder
The artist organization Augsburg Die Ecke e.V. in collaboration with the Kunstsammlungen und Museen Augsburg present MOLOCH, a solo exhibition by Berlin-based artist Martin Eder. Held at H1 – Zentrum für Gegenwartskunst im Glaspalast Augsburg until June 12, 2022, the exhibition will display over 50 works, spanning over a decade of Eder's career. Since the beginning of his career, Martin Eder has always explored the illusory possibilities of painting and their meaning. His art does not want to answer questions but to provoke: the sentimental, the filthy, and the sublime are the core elements of his works that break the generally accepted notions of what fine art should be, undermining conventional hierarchies of images and subjects. Eder’s oil paintings reveal surreal encounters, cute kittens, and cuddly puppies juxtaposed with candid nudes in a combination of beauty and ugliness. The artist explores the uncanny, all that is strange and mysterious in this world. The exhibition, made possible by the support of various German and European art collectors, is paired with the release of a catalog on May 21, 2022, and the presentation of three motifs selected by the artist and produced in a limited edition of 25 pieces. VB
www.martineder.com
www.kunstsammlungen-museen.augsburg.de
Art
Reflex Amsterdam: Daido Moriyama ’71 New York
Reflex Amsterdam has announced that it will premier the first exhibition featuring a large selection from Daido Moriyama’s Another Country in New York. The photographs featured are all in the artist’s signature style: rough, out of focus, and grainy. This represents the photographer’s belief that the art of photography should not be used as a sharp tool, but instead to capture reality in its essence; exciting and chaotic. The collection displays Moriyama’s first trip to New York in ’71. The miscellaneous frames, dynamic digital compositions, and flashing lights capture the overwhelming sense of the urban landscape. After being printed 20 years ago, the photographs have never been shown in completion and have been hidden in the archive, making the exhibition so much more special for lovers of vintage photography. The title of the series is based on the book by James Baldwin, Another Country. Reflected in the photograph series, the book illustrates the urban buzz within New York City. The blurriness of the works displayed are not to be mistaken as an attempt to solve the urban mystery but are simply there to capture its essence. This sense of mystery is reflected in the double prints, where two images are paired that reveal stark oppositions or overwhelming impressions of the city. Born in ’38, Daido Moriyama became an independent photographer in ‘64, publishing his first books Nippon Gekijo Shashincho in ’68 and Shashin yo Sayounara in ’72, both depicting the darker sides of urban life and the city of Tokyo. The exhibition is due to open on March 26th alongside some solo exhibitions at Reflex, Amsterdam. GH
www.reflexamsterdam.com
Art
Rinus Van de Velde: Inner Travel
BOZAR will exhibit the start of the second part of the “Europalia Trains & Tracks festival” with the flagship exhibition, Rinus Van de Velde: Inner Travels. The exhibition entails a diverse media ranging from drawings to sculptures, installations, and films, Van de Vedle creates a mirror universe where elements from reality and imagination coalesce into a unique kind of visual storytelling. Europalia trains and tracks celebrates the forms of travel that are depicted by the train as an everyday journey of the commuter to mythical and imaginary journeys. The work presented is born out of the inner journeys that the artist undertakes each day, that take place in the strict privacy of his studio. During these journeys. Van de Velde meets multiple other artists through which trigger episodes of his fictional autobiography, forming a common running thread through his work. The exhibition is further enriched by a series of talks and performance programme in which Dolares and Charlotte Bouckaert, Monster Chetwynd, Rita Hoofwijk, Gaëtan Rusquet and Damien Petitot being a wider outlook to the theme of travel and encounters. The exhibition is being shown at BOZAR from February 18th until the May 15th 2022.
www.europalia.eu
Art
Ce Qui Va Arriver - CHANEL'S Next Prize
With the inauguration of the Next PriZe, Chanel has established an award that catalyzes innovation across the interfacing areas of art and culture. Yana Peel, Global Head of Arts and Culture at Chanel explains: “Through the creation of the Next Prize, we extend Chanel’s deep history of cultural commitment – empowering big ideas and creating opportunities for an emerging generation of artists to imagine the next.” The name of the price alludes to the French proverb “ce qui va arriver” – a literal tribute to “what happens next”, and points back to Gabrielle Chanel’s support of avant-garde artists of her time and her desire to shape the future with her creations. The price has been specially developed to provide financial support to emerging creatives, who are taking risks and venturing out into the unknown with their practices. In this sense, the prize enables unconventional artists to actualize visionary ideas, testing new forms of creative expression and calling to life enriching collaborations across disciplines. In addition to the impressive prize sum of 100.000€ each, the ten winners are bestowed with close mentorships and networking opportunities through the French Maison. The ten winners of 2021’s Next Price are Jung-Jae il, Keiken, Lual Mayen, Marlene Monteiro, Rungano Nyoni, Precious Okoyomon, Marie Schleef, Botis Seva, Wang Bing and Eduardo Williams. Their art ranges from design and film to performing and visual arts, showing diversity not only in terms of their creative mediums but just as much with their origins: Seoul, London, Aswa in South Sudan, Cape Verde, Zambia, Buenos Aires, as well as Goettingen in Germany and Xi’an in China represent their homes. The jury of the 2021 price united Tilda Swinton, Cao Fei and Sir David Adjaye. The Next Prize will be awarded bi-annually, in which the recipients are chosen by an advisory board of 25 international arts and cultural leaders.
www.chanel.com
Art
Hublot Loves Art Marking its 10th Anniversary
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the cultural project Hublot loves Art, Hublot invites us to a unique exhibition in Miami. Hublot was founded by Italian entrepreneur Carlo Crocco, a son of a family of watchmakers, who is best-known and admired for his revolutionary approach to horological elegance by combining elements that were previously deemed unsuitable and complementing the gold timepieces with a natural rubber strap. The luxury watch manufacturer proves not only a strong commitment to its high standards in craftsmanship but also to art and design by supporting and collaborating with various artists. This year marks the 10th anniversary of Hublot's continuous homage to art. The festivities include a party at Faena Forum Miami Beach and a large unique exhibition, congregating important artists in the fields of art and design. Hublot presents a light and sound show featuring collaborative works, such as the timepieces designed with American artist Shephard Fairey, tattoo artist Maxime Plescia-Büchi or visual artist Richard Orlinski to display the art of fusion of different master disciplines. The guestlist included brand ambassadors such as fashion designer and founder of A-Cold-Wall* Samuel Ross, who perfectly captured the influence and importance of Hublot, stating: “[…]Together with Hublot, we fuse materials that have a history with ones that will become the future. I love when my creativity crosses all disciplines and that is exactly what we are building here with Hublot. I’m happy to be a part of the Hublot Art Family.’’
www.hublot.com
Art
Martin Eder x London Heni Gallery: “The spirit is weak, but the flesh is willing”
German artist Martin Eder is best known and admired for taking realistic motifs out of context and immersing them into a surrealistic environment, creating a captivating atmosphere for the viewer. For the “The spirit is weak, but the flesh is willing” exhibition, Eder examines the borders between the beautiful and the ugly in his artworks. The artist also draws inspiration from Dante’s Inferno. With his new series of paintings, Eder takes the viewer on a journey through the deeper levels of human subconsciousness as well as a dreamy hell. Martin Eder challenges the viewer with a selection of motifs in his paintings, that range from wide-eyed puppies to still life compositions of the remains of a wild party night. His work also features confident nudes and unreal accountings such as goats in front of rushing waves. Perfectly in tune with our zeitgeist, defined by ironic messages and so-called memes, Eder’s paintings are a refreshingly grotesque questioning of the principles of life. With every look, one discovers a new hidden message, meaning, or story in Eder’s impressive and overloaded artworks. The contemporary figurative paintings are melancholic yet ironically amusing. The “The spirit is weak, but the flesh is willing” exhibition is a prime example of the creative genius to be found in Martin Eder’s devouring paintings.
“The spirit is weak, but the flesh is willing” is exhibited at Heni Gallery, London, from October 6th-November 11th
www.newportstreetgallery.com
Art
Gallery Weekend *Discoveries: The Rise of Butterflies
María Magdalena Campos-Pons is one of the most renowned artists from the post-revolution era in Cuba in the 1980s. Her powerful and poetic voice is known countrywide and is now displayed in Europe within her exhibition The Rise of Butterflies at Galerie Barbara Thumm in the wake of the Gallery Weekend *Discoveries. The central pieces of her art revolve around race, religion and class, taking into account the individual and collective stories touching upon mythology, traditions and symbols of the African diaspora. Campos-Pons makes use of a multidisciplinary expression, creating from a multitude of mediums such as paintings, videos and photography, sculptures, installations as well as performances. In The Rise of Butterflies, the Cuban-based artist translates the situations of life that stem from hybrid cultural upbringing. Separation, memory and fragmentation play a major part in her work in which she also incorporates personal narratives of her youth in Cuba and the following relocation to the United States. “My work speaks to an ancestral knowledge and tradition to give a voice to the darkest narratives with grace and aesthetic elegance. Fragility, ephemerality, and a transient quality of a time and place are visible components in my vocabulary” is how Campos-Pons defines her artistic mission. The exhibition centres around the topic of metamorphosis – the bringing down of the evil, the budding and blossoming of the new beginnings and the hope that springs from this rebirth. Floral symbolism, culturally rich semiotics and colour explosions are the golden thread in her work.
The Rise of Butterflies by María Magdalena Campos-Pons is exhibited at Galerie Barbara Thumm, Berlin, from September 18th until December 31th 2021.
www.bthumm.de
www.gallery-weekend-berlin.de
Art
Gallery Weekend *Discoveries in Berlin
Extending the annual event of Berlin Gallery Weekend, the melting pot capital is hosting a special offshoot of the art event that focuses in particular on up and coming talents of the art scene. For three days, the city turns into a hub of artistry, showcasing the work of young creatives in all their manifoldness. Named Gallery Weekend *Discoveries the event invites to explore the plethora of artworks, ranging from paintings to sculptures, to installations. The exhibitions feature a variety of topics revolving around current matters, personal views and the latest developments. Prior to the opening for the public four authors have visited the sites and derived and put to paper four tours that provide support for visitors who do not know their way around Berlin. The tours are divided into Berlin’s districts, from Mitte & Wedding, Kreuzberg, Charlottenburg to Schöneberg. The routes are accessible in written form on the Berlin Gallery Weekend website, where visitors can get a first glimpse on what awaits them during their time without giving away the details that can be discovered on the tours. Besides the individual and duo exhibitions, the Gallery Weekend *Discoveries have curated the group exhibition K60 with a combination of eight renowned galleries set up in the industrial location of the Wilhelm-Hallen.
The Gallery Weekend *Discoveries are open to public from September 16th to September 18th 2021.
www.galleryweekendberlin.de
Art
Audemars Piguet Contemporary: Aleksandra Domanovic
Following collaborations with Cao Fei and Ryoji Ikeda, Audemars Piguet Contemporary has brought to life a collaboration with Aleksandra Domanovic. The Berlin-based artist translates the history and latest innovation of technology into her ambiguous body of work while incorporating social and political commentary stemming from her upbringing in Yugoslavia. Re-evaluating and unravelling the role of women in science and specifically in technology, she touches upon current questions and shifts of society and the influence of technological advancement at large. The core of her work revolves around a unique understanding of the ever-present digitization happening in current times. Precisely this thematization of current and future-oriented matters is what Denis Pernet, Art Curator of Audemars Piguet Contemporary, mentions as their motivation to work with Aleksandra: “We are delighted to support her in the development of this new body of work that will contribute to the wider contemporary art discourse and raise questions about our future.” Aleksandra’s new body of work Becoming Another (2021) is a site-specific installation presented at the former print house of Der Tagesspiegel in Berlin. The installation exhausts the impressive dimensions of the site, portraying the tension between sight and perception through the intertwining of dynamic LED fan displays and the visuals they project onto the corporeal space.
Aleksandra Domanovic’s Becoming Another (2021) commissioned by Audemars Piguet Contemporary, will be presented during the Gallery Weekend *Discoveries in Berlin at the former print house of Der Tagesspiegel at Potsdamer Straße and will be on display for the public from September 17th 2021 until October 10th 2021.
www.audemarspiguet.com/com/en/about/ audemars-piguet-contemporary.html
www.gallery-weekend-berlin.de
Art
Brusssels Gallery Weekend: Metamorphosis
The duo exhibition Metamorphosis features sculptures of Benoît Huot and works on paper of Indian artist Rithika Merchant. The core of the show builds upon myth and magic in the animal kingdom. Animism, the belief that innumerable spiritual beings interfere with human affairs, plays a role in both of their works. While Huot expresses a darker side of this phenomenon with bedazzled animal heads and torsos, Merchant creates a light-hearted, enchanted version of mysticism in her drawings. Huot’s sculptures resemble bewitched creatures that remind of baroque trophies or voodoo dolls. To achieve this mysterious impression, the French artist adorns stuffed animals and furniture with textiles, gemstones, mirrors and embroidery. The association with voodoo dolls is not far and is further reinforced by the saturated color choices – flaming red, vivid orange as well as pulsing green and black reoccur on the animal corpora. In contrast to the bewitched attributes of Huot’s sculptures, Merchant’s drawings revolve around the serenity of nature. Organic shapes and earthy colors compliment the magical stories. With her work, merchant explores how myths, and legends shape cultures and religions. With watercolor and cut paperwork as her main medium, she leads the attention away from the drawings themselves and sends the observer off into a world determined by individual symbolism. Influenced by botanical prints and folk art from the 17th century, Merchant aims to convey the cultural legacy of storytelling and create a body of work that visually connects the observer to their collective pasts.
Metamorphosis is exhibited at Galerie DYS, Brussels from September 9th - October 10th 2021.
www.galeriedys.com
www.benoithuot.fr
www.rithikamerchant.com
Art
Brussels Gallery Weekend: Around the Figure
The exhibition Around the Figure touches upon the reconfiguration of the human body since the post-war years. After a time of austerity, the following years marked a liberating shift concerning the vision of the body. This shift in perception brought along artistic practices which explore the transformative states of human physicality. The exhibition addresses the question of whether the corporeal body truly belongs to the human. A compound of sculptures, photography and paintings from various artist shine a light on bodily perception in abstract and figurative ways. The works center around the predicament between the human desire to reveal the true self and the impulse to remain inscrutable to the outside world. This constant dynamic between exposing and concealing, propelled by second-wave feminism and the sexual liberation movement, exemplifies how the body is harnessed and liberated simultaneously. Control versus powerlessness plays a significant role in many of the exhibited artworks. As such, Cindy Sherman’s self-portraits delineate the male gaze on the female body, proving how the self-control over the own body is limited. Gerhard Richter challenges the mind’s eye in a portrait that depicts the temporary, unreliable character of distant memories, indicating how they are replenished by vague remembrances. Blurring the lines between the individual artists' visions, the exhibition opens a discourse on the individual and inevitably societal perception of the human figure, painting a holistic notion of the mutability of the body of the past seventy years.
Around the Figure is exhibited at Vedovi Gallery, Brussels, from September 10th - November 13th 2021.
www.vedovigallery.com
Art
In Full Bloom - Cherry Blossoms by Damien Hirst
The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain is proud to unveil Cherry Blossoms, a remarkable new series of painting by British artist Damien Hirst, also marking the artist’s first museum exhibition in France. The series comprises of 107 paintings, a reinterpretation of the traditional landscape painting with a touch of playful irony. Cherry Blossoms have an universal appeal. Whenever they come into bloom, whether in Europe or Asia, it marks the beginning of a new season, the rebirth of nature. Quite a fitting metaphor that Damien Hirst’s Cherry Blossoms are unveiled now, as the world is starting to be recover from an almost 16 month break due to Covid-19. Hirst’s canvases are monumental in appearance, entirely covered in dense bright colors enveloping the viewer into a vast floral landscape. It took the British artist three years to complete the series. As Hirst puts it himself, “The Cherry Blossoms are about the beauty and life and death. They’re extreme – there’s something almost tacky about them. Like Jackson Pollock twisted by love. They’re decorative but taken from nature. They’re about desire and how we process the things around us and what we turn them into, but also about the insane visual transience of beauty – a tree in full crazy blossom against a clear sky. It’s been so good to make them, to be completely lost in color and in paint in my studio.” To commemorate this special opening, the Fondation Cartier has also produced a documentary film in which the artist reveals how he conceived of and create the paintings. The film will be available on the foundations website starting July 6th.
Cherry Blossoms by Damien Hirst will be open to the public from July 6th until January 2nd, 2022 at Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain in Paris.
www.fondationcartier.com
Images:
Damien Hirst in his studio, 2020 © Damien Hirst and Science Ltd. All rights reserved, DACS 2021. Photographed by Prudence Cuming Associates.
View from Damien Hirst’s studio © Damien Hirst and Science Ltd. All rights reserved, DACS 2021. Photographed by Prudence Cuming Associates.
Art
Gallery Weekend Berlin
Every year during springtime, around 50 galleries open their exhibitions by young and established artists and welcome numerous visitors from all over the world to Berlin. Gallery Weekend Berlin was founded in 2005 as a private initiative by Berlin galleries and soon became one of the highlights of the international art calendar. The weekend celebrates galleries and artists within this unique format providing high-caliber exhibitions and an unparalleled experience of Berlin. Gallery Weekend Live Tours guide you via Zoom through all participating galleries on May 1 and 2. Pre-registration is not required. The live Tours will be held mainly in German. Additionally, the participating galleries of Gallery Weekend will open their exhibitions next week on May 1st and 2nd. Currently, in-person gallery visits are possible via appointment booking and with a same-day Corona test. Visitors are required to wear a FFP2 mask when visiting the galleries. You can take advantage of our digital offerings. Films of all exhibitions will be viewable on Instagram from 1 May.
Opening Hours Gallery Weekend 2021
Saturday, 1 May | 12 noon – 7 pm
Sunday, 2 May | 12 noon – 7 pm
www.gallery-weekend-berlin.de
Art
Beuys Bleibt / Beuys - A Close Up
Joseph Beuys (1921–1986), widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of the second half of the 20th century, would have celebrated his 100th birthday on May 12th, 2021. In honor of his centenary German photographer Michael Ruetz has published the book “Beuys bleibt / Beuys – A Close Up” in January of 2021, which sheds new light on the many myths surrounding the late artist. Michale Ruetz started photographing Beuys in the late 70s after getting to know him through mutual friends.
Not initially intended for publication, the photographer’s detailed observation is more intimate and spontaneous. His goal was to “explore the actual person behind the all too familiar figure of Beuys.” Since Beuys has been photographed extensively in his time, the spontaneity of Ruetz has is a more detailed photographic tribute than ever existed before. Most prevalent in this tribute is the insight behind the artist’s professional façade and exploration of the fascinating inner life of Joseph Beuys.
“In Dialogue with Joseph Beuys” is on show at Galerie van der Grinten, Cologne, from January 23rd - March 23rd, 2021. “Beuys bleibt / Beuys – A Close Up” is out now and will be presented at Akademie der Künste, Berlin, on May 12th 2021.
Michael Ruetz Joseph Beuys Düsseldorf, Frühjahr 1971 © Michael Ruetz courtesy Michael Ruetz / Akademie der Künste, Berlin / Agentur FOCUS
Diesel Living with Lodes
DIESEL has partnered with Italian decorative lighting company, Lodes after the signing of an exclusive global licensing agreement last year. The international lifestyle brand DIESEL, owned by the OTB group, has launched a lighting collection dubbed ‘Diesel Living with Lodes’. The collection, which includes three new exclusive designs (Flask, Vinyl, Urban Concrete) and five renovated best sellers (Cage, Fork, Gask, Glass Drop, Pipe), displaying versatility and a bold design language inspired by contrasting opposites and themes of reality and perception.
Taking cues from the bollards found in the urban landscape, ‘Urban Concrete’ are lights designed to hang at lengths of either 12, 50, 60 or 80 centimetres. Clean lines and solid surfaces are juxtaposed to create the illusion of very heavy metal domes hanging on a thread, when in reality the light fixtures are very lightweight. ‘Flask’, also playing with perception, is inspired by the unique shapes of glass bottles one might find in a scientist’s lab, featuring a matte metallic surface that reveals the lamp’s glass appearance only when lit.
Technical innovation that is capable of capturing the imagination is central to the shared goals between the minds at DIESEL and Lodes. Of the licensing agreement, which will run for five years, Massimiliano Tosetto, General Manager at Lodes says “the launch of the ‘Diesel Living with Lodes’ products an the partnership with one of the world’s most renowned lifestyle brands is a further testament of our commitment to championing design excellence and creativity.”
The collaborative effort follows the success of other well received DIESEL collaborations, such as Scavolini (kitchens and bathrooms) or Mirabello Carrara (home textiles).
The Diesel Living with Lodes line will be available in select stores worldwide as of January 2021.
Art
Foscarini Sun-Light of Love
No identifiable beginning or end, an ever changing shape refusing to be defined by the human eye; the sun is a muse for Foscarini in their new Sun-Light of Love spherical lamp. Made up of 390 metal rays that have been grafted to the central body, the lamp is suspended in midair much like the sun is suspended in space, as opposed to a more conventional lamp being fixed into a wall or bound to a supporting beam. The Sun-Light of Love directs its light softly diffused upward as well as a stronger and more direct beam of light downward in order to create ambiance for a table setting as well as more focussed lighting for reading or inspecting objects. Foscarini has made the lamp available in two finishes, one in gold which brings its proud and regal star-light quality to the room and another finish in white for more minimalist settings that require statement pieces that also play to a room with innate subtlety. Its charm and vivacious personality are well purposed to neutral spaces that otherwise lack an edge; reception areas, hotel entrances or retail facilities. Dutch designer, Tord Boontje, showcased in MoMA, New York, is renowned for implementing a sense of romanticism and whimsy in his work. Sun-Light of Love is his first design for Foscarini. This highly decorative, impactful sphere of hundreds and hundreds of metal spokes conjures to mind that which is felt more than defined. Like the welcome heat and bright light of our Earth’s sun is felt, while staring directly into the sun will only add to its enigma.
Art
Architects of Air
Designed by Alan Parkinson, the luminarium changes the way we interact with light and space, curating a sense of the sublime through an immersive experience. Influenced by the awe inspiring structures created in the Islamic and Gothic architectural tradition, Parkinson engages a contemporary aesthetic, creating for his audiences a unique and spectacular interplay of light and space. Light in fact, is simply a product of the daylight which seeps through the luminarium’s fabric, employing a wonderful symbiosis with the natural world and connecting each experience to a specific locational context. Shown in a diverse range of contexts, from corporate events to festivals, the luminaria are accessible in their instinctive appeal and versatility. Since there creation more than 3 million people in over 40 countries have been able to experience their transformative and arresting effects. On arrival visitors are asked to take off their shoes before passing through an airlock. Inside visitors are given a map to freely explore the installation comprising multi-colored pods, labyrinth tunnels and domes, as such each experience is defined by the audience who are as much a part of the luminarium as the structure itself.
www.architects-of-air.com
Art
NJG Studios: ‘Desire’
In the new book designed by NJG Studio the early lives and art of Patti Smith & Robert Mapplethorpe are explored through the lucidly expressive and of-the-moment photography of Lloyd Ziff. ‘Desire’, depicts an era of impassioned cultural defiance in New York during 1968 and ’69. As the author Hunter S. Thompson put it, the end of the 60’s was the reluctant quelling of a bittersweet revolution, he mused that “you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark—that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back”. Now, with the release of ‘Desire’ this movement can be seen through the eyes of some of the icons of the time.
With over 65 unpublished works and many New York street photos over 128 pages in a hardback cover, ‘Desire’ comes fittingly housed in a hand-sewn paper bag. There will only be 600 copies of ‘Desire’ published with 100 of them being marked ‘Strictly Limited Edition’. Robert Mapplethorpe counts amongst the most critically acclaimed artists of the late twentieth century. Most notably, Mapplethorpe is known for his black-and-white portrait photography and his documentation of New York’s S&M scene in the late 70s. Artistic freedoms were alive in Smith and Mapplethorpe during the end of the 60’s, Ziff captures their knack for never quite fitting in or complying with authority and capitalism. Their natural disposition was to being outstanding, Ziff captures these dying embers as they burned their brightest.
www.njgstudio.com
Art
Osservatorio Fondazione Prada: “Training Humans”
Fondazione Prada will host the first major photography exhibition dedicated to bettering our understanding of the images gathered and used to train A.I. technologies. Artificial Intelligence is talked about frequently and superstitions surrounding new tech are mounting. Two highly contemplative and knowledgeable scholars will host “Training Humans”, held at Galleria Vittorio II in Milan. Kate Crawford, distinguished New York University professor and widely published A.I. researcher, along with artist, futurist, and researcher Trevor Paglen who has been exhibited from the Smithsonian to the Guggenheim. Their exhibition is an interrogation of the training practices used to categorically define the human race through the eyes of artificial intelligence.
When the CIA first conducted facial recognition experiments, in 1963, they compiled a total of 14,126 images with which to set a benchmark for machine learning. “Training Humans” explores two issues fundamental to humanity and its freedoms. The photography on display will expose to human eyes how humans are represented, interpreted and how technological systems harvest, label and use this material. The intention of “Training Humans” is not to imagine some not-too-distant dystopia; it is to specify to a concerned public exactly which images are chosen to teach A.I. Because of the Internet and the integration of social media into our every day the AI researchers moved from using government-owned collections, such as FBI mug shots of dead criminals, to sourcing photos from anywhere they chose to.
In our infinite complexities, authorities seem desperate to teach machines how to understand us in simple terms. The moral quandary of this is how far they will go to put humanity in a box, to remove the unpredictable, the wild, the life we share that machines cannot yet understand.
“Training Humans” is open to the public from September 12th to the 24th of February 2020
www.fondazioneprada.org
Art
Rinus van de Velde Special Edition Stamp
It might have been a while since you last put a stamp on an actual letter before posting it. It is true that traditional mail has found itself largely replaced by e-mails and other means of electronic communication, making letters and stamps artifacts of the past.
Despite having lost most of their daily use, stamps remain a desired collector’s item, a prized artifact defined by its beauty and historical significance. Their illustrations are gateways to a different time, a snapshot of the period’s social and political realities, depicting an important event, institution or person that have become recognizable symbols of the issuing nation’s traditional heritage.
The Belgian Post pays homage to Rinus van de Velde, dedicating a special stamp to the Belgian artist. The stamp depicting a charcoal self-portrait is a recognition of his invaluable input to the Belgian art scene and his contributions to elevating it onto the global stage. It might seem insignificant at first, but these stamps will be a lasting witness of the national importance of van de Velde’s artistic endeavors, cherished by a nation and a global audience alike.
www.timvanlaeregallery.com
Art
Implicit Tensions: Mapplethrope Now
Robert Mapplethrope counts amongst the most critically acclaimed artists of the late twentieth century. Most notably, Mapplethrope is known for his black-and-white portrait photography and his documentation of New York’s S&M scene in the late 70s. His provocative images were never created with the purpose to shock, but out of a curiosity to explore and showcase the unknown. For the 30th anniversary of his passing, the Guggenheim Museum dedicates a yearlong, two-part exhibition to Mapplethorpe’s groundbreaking work, which deliberately kept challenging the social norms of the time.
Whereas the first phase of Explicit Tensions showcased the Guggenheim’s large collection of Mapplethrope’s work, the second part is focussed on the artist’s lasting legacy. In the ensuing decades, Mapplethorpe’s treatment of under-represented communities and homoerotic desire have raised questions about the agency of the photographic subject and initiated complex conversations about the fine line separating representation and objectification.
To honor Mapplethorpe’s critical contributions, the Guggenheim showcases the work of six artists, that engage various approaches of exploring identity through the medium of photography. The six chosen artists were Lyle Ashton Harris, Glenn Ligon, Zanele Muholi, Catherine Opie and Paul Mpagi Sepuya.
The second part of Implicit Tensions: Mapplethrope Now will be open to the public from July 24, 2019 until January 5, 2020.
www.guggenheim.org
Art
In Conversation with... David LaChapelle
Reflex Gallery in Amsterdam created the series In Conversation With… in order to offer the showcased artists’ another platform to share their personal vision and background information on their work. In the fourth installment, the focus is on photographer David LaChapelle, who is currently exhibiting Act Of Nature at the gallery.
David LaChapelle rose to fame due to his unique vision and distinct aesthetic. Especially thanks to his celebrity portraits, David LaChapelle is considered one of the most important photographers of the century. His third exhibition at Reflex includes highlights from the past ten years alongside a selection of previously unseen work, on show for the first time in Amsterdam.
Throughout the interview, David LaChapelle offers an insight into his approach to photography and discusses how the challenges of a natural setting have influenced his way of working. In his work, LaChapelle tries to capture and share his imagination of paradise and the deep connection between humans and nature that sparked this idea. Alongside the exhibition, a publication of Act of Nature, containing an essay by author and art writer Katya Tylevich, will be available in Reflex Amsterdam.
Act of Nature is on view at Reflex Amsterdam until August 31st.
www.reflexamsterdam.com
Art
Dirty Socks
The creative mind works differently sometimes. It manages to find extraordinary beauty in the most mundane objects and settings and transform them into artistic expression. Nordic duo Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset, collaborating since 1995, have time after time investigated this sculptural dimension of the most quotidian objects.
In their latest exploit, titled Dirty Socks, they prove that even our dirty socks, detached of their utility and radically recontextualized, can evolve into an artistic sculpture. Showcased on only a gilded lower body, crossing its legs, the white socks become the visual focal point.
Dirty Socks will be on show with the König Galerie at Art Basel from June 13th to June 16th.
www.artbasel.com
Art
Anthropometry
One year after his passing, multifaceted artist Getulio Alviani, pioneer in the movement of kinetic art and Op-Art, was celebrated in the framework of the 58th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale. In the spirit of Alviani’s vision, the Palazzo Barbaro on the Grand Canal is transformed into an interdisciplinary exhibition Anthropometry combining art, fashion, jewelry music and theatrical performance, perfectly staged during the opening vernissage featuring live performances of Brazilian actress Lìgia Cortez and famous eclectic virtuoso Olen Cesari.
The dress “Cerchio + Quadrato” worn during Cortez’s performance shows that Alviani’s collaborations in the field of fashion, springing from the research of avant-garde materials and technologies, with designer Germana Marucelli are one of the focal points. By applying his visual experimentations with light and optical illusions to sartorial endeavours, designer Marucelli constructs wearable pieces of art, transforming and evolving with movement and in relation to the body that wears them.
The exhibition is open to the public until the 30th of May in the Palazzo Barbaro in Venice.
Art
ES Exhibition - JOHAN TAHON, TILL LINDEMANN, SANDOR LUBBE
‘The collective unconscious consists of the sum of the instincts and their correlates, the archetypes. Just as everybody possesses instincts, so he also possesses a stock of archetypal images.’
- CARL GUSTAV JUNG
Following on from the mighty success of the 2018 retrospective exhibition at the Bonnefanten Museum in the Netherlands ‘Wir uberleben das Licht’, which documented Belgium visual artist Johan Tahon’s career exploring the physical and the philosophical through the art form of sculpting, New York now hosts ES.
From 29th March through to the 18th May 2019, a unique opportunity to experience the work of Johan Tahon and his collaborations presents itself to the public. Sculpture, poetry and photography all coalesce to form an immersive, united exhibition.
Sharing the same sensibilities and sentiments as Johan Tahon, German frontman Till Lindermann of Rammstein has specifically written poems to accompany the exhibition. Our editor-in-chief Sandor Lubbe’s photography also plays a part alongside Tahon’s pieces, the culmination from which ES has developed.
Wednesday to Saturday 18:00-20:00 at 87 Rivington Street, New York, the exhibition at 'Empirical Nonsense' runs from 29th – 18th May 2019.
Art
The Visual Spheres of Günter Rössler
Günter Rössler is one of the early leading Eastern bloc photographers that exposed the everyday life of the DDR. At a time that was characterized by scarcity and limited access to cultural influences, in particular Western pop culture, Rössler developed his own autonomous signature. He represented the DDR with a typical aesthetic that not only told the story but also made it feel as though you are part of it.
Günter Rössler studied photography at the Academy of Fine Arts in Leipzig. In 1951 he started his empire as a freelance fashion and journalistic photographer. His work intriguingly told the various stories about the DDR’s social life. After a number of years, Rössler started to focus on fashion photography and grew into a true pioneer. His authentic and spontaneous approach created exceptional photographs that told a personal story and at the same time expressed a certain aesthetic.
The work has been published for years in East Germany's leading fashion magazine, Sibylle. In 1981 Rössler was admitted to the Verband Bildender Künstler der DDR (Association of visual artists of the DDR). In 1996 he also became a member of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photographie (German Association for Photography). After his breakthrough as a fashion photographer, Rössler became one of the pioneers that introduced nude photography as a movement in modern art within the walls of the DDR. His first solo exhibition in 1979 presented in the Kunsthaus Grimma had a big impact. His nude models were exposed as strong natural women with a lot of self-confidence, which made them seem almost sculptural. Rössler's signature was in contrast with the standards of Western nude photography, which was less subtly produced. His work has depth and went beyond merely showing a naked woman. His work was therefore also noticed outside the walls of the DDR, magazines such as Fotographie, Fotokino-Magazin, Das Magazin, Modische Maschen, and even Playboy published it regularly.
After an impressive career as photographer and artist, Günter Rössler died in 2012. He left a memorable oeuvre behind that will always be remembered as one of the leading signatures in German photography. APITIS Studios / Berlin is therefore presenting ‘Akt und Mode’, an exhibition that covers his most important visual spheres through the years.
‘Akt und Mode’ is presented in APITIS Studios in Berlin from 15 February until 28 April 2019 and has free access.
www.capitis-studios.de
Art
New Flagship store Molteni&C | Dada in London
This month the Molteni group opened its third global brand showcase in contemporary number one design city; London. This high-end artistic design venue is applicably situated against the famous V&A design museum in the heart of Chelsea. Creative director Vincent Van Duysen has succeeded in creating a unique quiet moment in such a vibrant city. This new store represents a romantic life full of Italian flair, propagated in an "ordinary" looking house with two levels divided into many different zones.
To start with an impressive entrance, built on an inner door opens onto two floor-to-ceiling glass. Then you arrive at an iconic spiral staircase made out of walnut wooden and marble steps. Van Duysen made some sensational stylistic choices like the winter gardens brimming with all sorts of luxurious plants. This place is characterized by the theme of alternating perceptions that emerge in the surprising color and texture palette travertine marble and Korean walnut executed in various shades of gold and warm and bone greys.
This space is gracious, welcoming, dimensional and fluid thanks to the innovative distinctive details that will display the collections of designers such as Vincent van Duysen, Rodolfo Dordoni, Ron Gilad, Foster + Partners, Jean Nouvel and Patricia Urquiola and many others each in their own unique way.
To celebrate the opening, the new London Flagship Store will display a series of works by contemporary artists that develop The Collector’s House project, a concept presented at the 2018 Salone del Mobile and, subsequently, in the New York Flagship inaugurated last May. The Collector’s House, curated by art curator Caroline Corbetta, is an ideal collection that contributes to creating an ecosystem in which design and art enhance each other. Some designers that contribute are: Giuseppe Buzzotta (1983); Alessandro Dandini de Sylva (1981), Cleo Fariselli (1982), Emiliano Maggi (1977) Matteo Nasini (1976) and Vincenzo Schillaci (1984) are the six young Italian artists, represented by Rome’s Galleria Operativa.
www.molteni.it
Art
Italian elegance in the big city
In the heart of Manhattan, at 160 Madison Avenue, a modern and unique store is opening its doors. This is the first Flagship Store of Moteni&C, Dada, and UniFor, joining forces to project the classic and elegant Italian style into New York City. A collaboration between aesthetic and cultural harmony mixed with personality and imagination.
Showcasing the concept of a modern art collector’s house, the store hosts a collection of works by contemporary artists. Discover monochrome sculptures by Santo Tolone and pop hieroglyphics by Stephen Felton alongside the works of young artists.
Designed by Vincent van Duysen, the store also creates a platform to support artists in the height of their creativity that will be presented at the Molteni Museum.
Art
Prada collaborates with Francesco Vezzoli for “Opera Pompidou”
The Italian artist Francesco Vezzoli is internationally well-known for mirroring the glamour of Hollywood in his unsaleable paintings. Now he partnered up with the fashion house Prada to produce the twelve costumes for the “Opera Pompidou” live performance, which was presented in the Centre Pompidou on the 19th October. The reason for this unique project was the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the museum for arts and culture in the heart of Paris. The Italian artist’s visionary world of elaborate references intertwines with the collection of the museumto create a series of special live art performances staged by Vezzoli. Each artist was wearing a costume made by Prada which references to the art work and brings it to life. In this totally emotional reinterpretation of the modern and contemporary collections of Centre Pompidou, the visitor finds himself in a new immersive experience.
www.prada.com
Art
Lunar Garden
"After spending many years traveling to Japan I became fascinated with the dry gardens in Kyoto, specifically the way in which the gardens are permanent yet completely ephemeral and remade every day,” said Daniel Arsham, an american artist who studied at the Cooper Union in New York. His new solo exhibition is on view at Visionaire in New York until the 5th of November. The work, titled “Lunar Garden,” is a combination of architecture, sound, and an immersive environment that reinterprets the traditional Japanese rock garden: surreal and dreamlike, Arsham’s oasis uses a vibrant pink color scheme, features a moon-like orb spanning 3 meters, and peculiar patterns in the sand that the artist freshly rakes every day. Traditional greenery, such as the bonsai, has been replaced by a petrified tree and a lantern. For Arsham, the use of color is a new experiment. Previously, he has relied on a palette of black, white and gray tones. The reason for this shift is that Arsham is colorblind, but has recently been able to see vibrant colors thanks to special glasses: the radical change is his sense of sight and perception of color has prompted an important new visual language for the artist which can be witnessed for the first time in “Lunar Garden.”
Art
Iris Schomaker – Come to the Edge
Berlin based artist Iris Schomaker, will display her first Benelux exhibition “Come to the Edge” at the Reflex Gallery in Amsterdam showing off her expressive large-scale watercolor and oil-works on paper featuring figures in various states of repose.
The show will consist purely of new works representing an arresting close-up of a single figure, lying reading, resting, sitting curled up, unaware of the viewer’s gaze because “it’s more like a sudden glimpse-something unexpected. These figures do not offer contact. Their faces are blank, vanishing.” As the artist herself said.
Is exactly this blankness that took Iris to project on to the image looking at the very anonymity of those faces as an invitation to the viewers to bring something of their own being surrounded by powerfully immersive and contemplative figures. Moreover the figures in the newer works from the German artist are often accompanied by a symbolic animal that is more idea, atmosphere, and energy, more a sprit guide that brings a strange, irritating and inspiring energy rather than a flesh and bones companion.
In muted shades of black and grey, with only the thinnest veil of oil wash in faded aquamarine or yellow, the overall impression of the palette is decidedly monochrome. The figures are resolutely not portraits; the final creation is given by a work of research through images of unknown people like photos, sketches, ripped pages of magazines, combined with her drawing and creativity, in order to give birth to an incredible mix between classic paintings and current graphic novels.
The exhibition will run until April 26th 2017
www.irisschomaker.de
Art
Hennessy X Jean-Michel Othoniel: A Precious Gem
Hennessy had partnered with renowned artist Jean-Michel Othoniel to create two decanters for the X.O collection. X.O by Hennessy is the first extra old Cognac and stands as a testament to the brand’s unparalleled expertise in blending and aging fine spirits.
This collaboration forms a continuation of Hennessy’s dedication to partnering with esteemed talents in art, fashion and culture to create exquisite works of art further elevating the Hennessy experience.
Jean-Michel Othoniel first crafted the X.O Masterpiece decanter seamlessly blending tradition and innovation as well as the artist’s signature style centering on a fascination with light and reflection. This Baccarat crystal decanter – destined to become a collectors item – is encased in hand-carved oak wood, reminiscent of Hennessy’s iconic barrels,shielded and protected akin to a precious jewel.
The collection is completed by the Hennessy X.O Limited Edition, which puts a more dramatic and avantgarde twist onto the meticulous design. This piece presents the decanter as a ruby red gem hidden beneath an intricate gold structure, which has a special opening mechanism allowing for bottle replacement or refilling in line with the brand’s commitment to sustainability.
Each edition is a testament to the power of reimagining familiar objects and infusing them with new meaning and beauty to create new magic paying meaningful tribute to the Maison’s long heritage.
www.hennessy.com
Art
Dom Pérignon Vintage 2015 Special Edition - An Homage to Jean-Michel Basquiat
Paying tribute to one of the most relevant artists of our time, Don Pérignon presents the limited special edition of it's Vintage 2015, in homage to Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Dom Pérignon’s self assigned creative mission has always been one of achieving harmony as a source of emotion, through their devotion to aesthetic and sensory values of precision, intensity, tactile sensation, minerality, complexity, completeness and an exceptionally distinctive way of sustaining notes. The brand’s vision is one of staying true to heritage, while adapting to the change of tides in the surrounding world. Basquiat, having been a lover of French unique excellence, has always managed to stay true to his conviction, that any form of artistic creation should be understood as an invitation for playful, albeit passionate, engagement with constraints.
Two legends, separated by time and space, yet, each of them, embodying the cultural spirit of their respective eras, coming together in perfect fusion in this most suitable collaboration. An alchemy between creativity and innovation, continuing the red thread of Don Pérignon’s nearly three decade long history of collaborating with inspiring artists and creators.
The series includes three different bottles, with each of the bottles exhibiting a part of Basquiat’s painting ‘In Italian’ (1983). The sensitive design is in line with the principle of assemblage, dear to both Dom Pérignon and Basquiat. The label on the bottles, in three color variants, depicts the hybrid emblem of the three-branched crown, Basquiat’s statement and signature, superimposed on the shield. A powerful seal to this tribute.
domperignon.com/de
Art
Golden Design
Kaldewei, the renowned German manufacturer of high-end bathroom solutions, has been awarded the prestigious iF Design Award in Gold for its innovative FlowLine ZERO shower channel solution, designed by Studio Aisslinger. This recognition follows on from winning the German Design Award 2024.
Launched in spring 2023 and available since autumn 2023, FlowLine ZERO impresses with its patent-pending Click'n Clean mechanism, which combines both ease of use and aesthetic design.
The international iF Design jury praised the product with “full marks for innovation” and described it as an “outstanding example of product design that combines aesthetics with great functionality and ergonomics.” The shower channel solution, available in five exclusive finishes, impresses with its timeless elegance and an ingenious mechanism for effortless cleaning of the hair filter.
The iF Design Award is one of the world's most prestigious design awards, with almost 11,000 entries from 70 countries, of which only 75 received the coveted Gold Trophy. The award is presented by the iF Design Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes design and its social significance worldwide.
www.kaldewei.com
Art
AAS:object:project by Marsèll X Gonzalez Haase – Milan Design Week 2024
AAS:object:project by Marsèll X Gonzalez Haase – Milan Design Week 2024 Marsèll, a Luxury footwear brand presented an exhibition in Milano by Gonzalez Haase – AAS, a Berlin-based studio with principal practices in architecture, scenography, and lighting. Renowned for the unique interplay between light and architecture at the forefront of their designs, AAS has gained a noted reputation for their spatial concepts. Their work includes major artwork installations, luxury retail interiors, residential extensions as well as conversions for industrial and art-related spaces. For the Design Week 2024 installation, AAS made an exceptional collaboration with Marsèll, which was entitled AAS:object:project. Within the project, the design action becomes performative, involving visitors to the point of transforming them into artists themselves. The key to the project is a reaction to multiple elements - a given space, light, proportion, or movement. All the objects were beautifully designed while each is critical in the unique settings where scenography and architecture made a perfect fusion; Benches that extend to the extreme in modular sequences, urbanized plants sprouting from a series of aluminum towers, a special re-edition of the emblematic LOLA light and an infinity of light paper confetti kept in motion by large fans. The exhibition will be held from 14 April 2024 to 10 May 2024 at Marsèll, Via Paullo 12/A, Milano.
www.marsell.com
www.gonzalezhaase.com
Art
RH Opens in Munich
The doors have swung open to welcome true luxury and sophistication as RH, the renowned high-end interior brand, makes its mark in Munich. With a legacy spanning over 30 years, RH has consistently stood as one of the most successful retailers in the realm of interior and furniture within the US market. Following its successful ventures in the UK, RH has chosen Düsseldorf and Munich as the latest European cities to host its exquisite stores. The Munich "Gallery," as RH eloquently names its stores, is a testament to the brand's commitment to offering not just furniture but an immersive experience of elegance and refinement. Adorned with stunning interiors they transform spaces into works of art. RH Munich, originally designed in 1905 by German architect Max Littmann, graces the heart of the Old Town on Sendlinger Strasse, within walking distance from Sendlinger Tor, a surviving city gate dating back to the 14th century. For those who appreciate the finer things in life, the arrival of RH in Munich is a momentous occasion. It not only signifies the expansion of a prestigious brand but also offers a unique opportunity for enthusiasts of luxury living to immerse themselves in the world of RH's curated elegance.
www.rh.com
Art
GRAU unveils Salt: A lamp designed for well-being
The light-design studio GRAU unveils its latest creation, Salt. The sculptural luminaire Salt captured the broad light spectrum of a sunset and is ready to bring its soothing rays into just about every home. Salt stands as the first mobile lamp that is exclusively designed for mental and physical well-being. As a reimagination of its predecessor Salt & Pepper, the luminaire features a novel holistic design and simulates the full spectrum of a romantic sunset from bright afternoon light (2700K) to the glowy atmosphere of a late summer evening (1300K), replicating a sunset’s warm and soothing embrace to naturally stimulate the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. Apart from the options of choosing between hues from reaching from a warm sunset orange light, a golden light, to a versatile neutral light, the relaxing glow can be dimmed and brightened to the user’s liking through the magic button on Salt’s underside. To harness the whole magic of the lamp's ability to stimulate melatonin production, Salt also features the active sleep program Sunset Sleep. Simulating the serene experience of slowly wandering off to sleep under a fiery sunset sky, the luminous sculpture gradually dims its light in the span of 30 minutes - completely automatically. In a sleek yet holistic design, the smart mobile light features an aluminum body with an ultra-touch sensitive head and a lampshade in a matte finish, creating sun rays that reach even into the furthest corners of the ceiling. Finished off with a powder-skin surface, GRAU’s Salt is not just a mobile well-being lamp but also an alluring sculpture that can accompany you just about anywhere. www.grau.art
Art
Hublot Design Prize 2023
Hublot, the renowned Swiss luxury watchmaker, recently held the prestigious Hublot Design Prize award ceremony at the new extension of the Kunsthaus Zurich on October 2nd. Since its inception in 2015, the international competition has recognized and celebrated original design, with a focus on designers under 40, spanning diverse realms of creative expression. This year's ceremony witnessed the spotlight on two exceptional talents. The Hublot Design Prize 2023 was awarded to Aqui Thami, whose fluid multidisciplinary practice encompasses graphic and social design, art, and performance. The jury commended Aqui for her deep activist engagement, evident in every aspect of her work, showcasing a profound social impact and inspirational approach. The Pierre Keller Prize found its deserving recipient in Gabriel Fontana, lauded for his innovative use of sport as a catalyst for redefining societal roles and norms. Fontana's work aims to create a positive impact, challenging preconceived notions of identity and inclusion. His exploration extends to developing non-stigmatizing clothing for sports and community activities. The Hublot Design Prize serves not only as a recognition of exceptional talent but also as a springboard for young designers' careers. The ceremony at Kunsthaus Zurich brought together the six finalists, the esteemed jury, and an invited audience, marking another milestone in the ongoing commitment to celebrate and foster creativity on a global scale.
www.hublot.com
Art
Loro Piana Interiors & Cristián Mohaded: Apacheta
Loro Piana Interiors presents its new project, Apacheta, with Argentinian designer and artist Cristián Mohaded. As piles of stones that outline paths and passes in the Andes, the Apachetas are the direct link to the Andean tradition that has always accompanied travelers. In fact, it was the courageous travelers who walked great distances carrying a stone in honor of Pachamama’s spirit (Mother Earth). As time passed, stones accumulated, and travelers came and went, the Apachetas became massive towers of irregular rocks. “Apacheta is a message to our Pachamama, it is history, it is culture, it is honesty and respect”, comments Mohaded, who takes them as an inspirational starting point for his collaboration with the Maison.
Inside Loro Piana’s Milanese headquarters, the Cortile della Seta is molded into a dreamlike landscape for the installation. Covered with fabrics from Loro Piana’s old collections, 12, eight-meter high towers rise from the ground – indulging one to consider the possibility of reusing discarded materials. Stone-like sofas, stools, a bench and courtesy tables take on a certain softness using wood, fabric, and ceramic – Loro Piana Interiors’ tactile materials. “Cristian has not only put all his magic into the materials, but has infused the design with all the values we share”, explains Francesco Pergamo, Director of Loro Piana Interiors Division. Juxtaposing materials and textures, the installation recreates the original contrasts of Catamarca’s landscape, transforming each visitor into a traveler.
The installation is open to the public during the Milan Design Week, and Apacheta pieces are available upon order only.
www.loropiana.com
Art
Rwandan Daughters – A call for hope by Olaf Heine
According to photographer Olaf Heine: "Our future should not be dictated by our past." Nevertheless, he felt compelled to shed light on a historical tragedy whose repercussions continue to reverberate: the Rwandan Genocide.
In the harrowing span of 100 days in 1994, approximately one million lives were lost, with around 250,000 women enduring the horrors of rape, trauma, and subsequent marginalization.
As it is so difficult to stand out after a trauma, their daughters strive each day to aid in their recovery and amplify their voices. With remarkable courage and optimism, they endeavor to dismantle the stigma surrounding their mothers, aunts, and sisters.
Rwandan Daughters stands as a poignant tribute to these resilient women and the unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters united in the fight against injustice. Many of these daughters are reminders of their mothers' trauma, yet they stand together in pursuit of peace and remembrance. Their bravery is a beacon of inspiration, and their struggle demands acknowledgment.
Between 2017 and 2019, Olaf Heine captured the essence of these women and their ongoing battle, crafting a tribute that honors Rwandan mothers and daughters—a poignant narrative of a tragedy that has scarred a nation and its subsequent generations.
This project encapsulates themes of memory, respect, love, and sorrow, but above all, it serves as a testament to hope. By showcasing the magnitude of the tragedy and the resilience of those who strive for peace and the restoration of their lives, Olaf Heine sends a powerful message of hope: that even in the darkest of times, those who champion a just cause will be heard and will effect change.
After the publication of his book, "Rwandan Daughters," Olaf Heine unveils an exhibition of his project at the Kunsthalle Rostock Museum, running from March 17th to May 20th, 2024.
www.olaheine.com & www.kunsthallerostock.deArt
Simplicity, clarity and logic
Going back three generations, the family-run Carl Hansen & Søn has been committed to passionate craftsmanship. With the aim of preserving Danish design classics as well as representing influential contemporary designers, the company seeks to gather the best and most iconic modern furniture designs under one roof. The brand’s partnerships with designers are premised on a shared respect for thoughtful design and production, holding at the core the Danish Modern principles of simplicity, functionality and craftsmanship.
These values continue to guide designers of the brand today, as for example in the most recent AH Outdoor Series, designed and developed by the late Alfred Homann. Born in 1948, Homann was an esteemed architect and designer, having won multiple awards for his work before his death in 2022. The founding of his own studio in 1978 in Copenhagen at just 30 years old saw Homann develop his own personal style, with a particular taste for simplicity, clarity and logic. The Outdoor Series, released in time for the new year, reflects Homann’s personal style and pays homage to his keen eye for detail and sense of soft shapes that pervade the collection. Eleven pieces carved out of untreated teak comprise the series, each meticulously polished by hand by the seasoned craftsmen at Carl Hansen & Søn. HZ
www.carlhansen.com
Art
TC Stool by Kokke House: Revamping a Classic
Ruud-Jan Kokke is a Dutch designer working in line with the tradition of Gerrit Rietveld, who rose to fame in the mid-80s due to his inventive objects and furniture pieces. He might be best known for his TC Stool, which was awarded several prizes and has also been included in the permanent collections of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, as well as the MoMa in New York. The story behind this iconic piece is simple. Gallery Owner and museum guide Trees Coenders approached Kokke in 1989 with a request to create a chair that was suitable for museum tours. Up until then, they had used folding chairs, which were not only relatively heavy but which also proved to be quite impractical due to their angular shape. The new chair needed to be light, practical and easily movable during the museum tours. Kokke immediately caught on to the question and began the work which led to one of his most famous creations the TC Stool. The design is simple and pure yet well-thought-out, a defining characteristic of Kokke’s work. He is not distracted by fuss but aims to create a balance of form and use, drawing upon his extensive knowledge of materials and techniques. The chosen material for the TC Stool was aircraft plywood which is very strong, yet flexible. Kokke, a pioneer working with this material, bent the material into a cone shape and milled a handle into the seat. But this first prototype was initially rejected, as according to the client it looked too massive. To give it a light appearance, he added horizontal slots in the hull, resulting in the playful and light-footed design we came to know today. The TC Stool became an immediate success. 32 years later, the TC Stool is now making its return onto the market. Kokke House, an initiative by Romy Kokke and her husband Daniel Beasley, is now bringing back the iconic design of Ruud-Jan Kokke. Starting with the TC Stool, they will also bring back other designs in limited editions collaborating with artists such as Klaas Gubbels and Petra Hartman. With Kokke House being a family business, it will now bring back the spotlight to this highly acclaimed piece of Dutch design history.
www.kokkehouse.com
Art
A Journey Through Ulay’s Life
SPURS Gallery is currently presenting the exhibition The Great Journey, putting works of the iconic artist Ulay on display. Divided into three different periods, the exhibition takes visitors through Ulay’s life and his body of work, starting with his artistic activity in the early 1970s, continuing with his collaboration with Marina Abramovic, and ultimately finishing with his work as a solo artist in the late 90s.
During this first period, Ulay took up a practice, which he called Auto-polaroid, which describes taking Polaroids as a performative act. Within the intimate performances, Ulay was exploring his own body and identity in terms of gender and illusory. The second period sheds light on the pioneering performance art that he created in partnership with Marina Abramovic. Investigating emotional discomfort and physical endurance, their performances revolved around states of consciousness, psychic energy, and nonverbal communication. During the last period, Ulay focused again on the medium of Polaroid, creating performative auto-portraits and capturing recurring motifs from his oeuvre.
As the exhibition follows Ulay’s search for his own identity, it takes visitors on a journey of different cultures, spiritual explorations, and physical travels, showcasing unique works made by Ulay along the way.
The exhibition will be open to the public for two more weeks, ending October 30th at SPURS Gallery in Beijing. JW
installation view of "Ulay: The Great Journey," SPURS Gallery, Beijing, 2022
www.spursgallery.com
Art
Unseen celebrates its 10th edition
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the international photography fair Unseen is returning to Amsterdam. For this special occasion, 70 galleries, 65 publishers, and 12 special projects gather on the Westergasterrein in the Dutch capital. Creating an epicenter of the international world of photography, the event is defined by its intimate atmosphere and its high quality. The group of participants is composed of long-standing Dutch galleries such as Galerie Ron Mandos which presents photographs of Erwin Olaf and newcomers like Bitforms Gallery which specializes in digital art. International contributions are also made by the Indian gallery Nature Morte and the Robert Morat Galerie from Berlin. This year, Unseen presents for the first time NFTs, as it explores the innovative offering of the digital art world. Investigating the boundaries of the photographic medium, the prestigious fair also shows works of various artists in the exhibition UNBOUND. The Book Market showcases photography and art books of independent and international publishers, featuring a new Book Award in collaboration with GOST Books. Director Roderick van der Lee explains: "This year we have worked closely with several galleries to present this 10th edition of Unseen, making another global reflection of the latest developments in art photography, which has worked out very well. With 70 galleries from 16 countries, including the US, Mexico, Morocco, India, Iran, and South Africa, this edition (presents) an inspiring picture of the direction in which the art form is moving.”
The photography fair Unseen will take place from the 15th to the 18th of September, 2022 at Westergas in Amsterdam. JW
ERWIN OLAF
Kleines Requiem VI, 2022
Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Ron Mandos
www.unseenamsterdam.com
Art
Brussels Gallery Weekend - Sofia Pashaei at Ballon Rouge
On the occasion of Brussels Gallery Weekend Ballon Rouge is presenting Sofia Pashaei’s first solo exhibition Meaning in the off hours.
The exhibition is showing paintings, which revolve around relationships individuals have with themselves and other people. An important component in the settings portrayed is time. It is depicted in the change of architecture and objects decorating the scene, creating a narrative which then again takes time to fully grasp. Seamlessly and smoothly, the Swedish artist paints interiors and pieces of furniture transitioning in one another, thus a couch can become a bathtub and so on. In these sceneries Pashaei refers to human identities, which can be similarly structured as many dissonant, but woven rooms. Hence, the architecture depicts splitted identities, common for families of immigrants. Nevertheless, a room or a house holds and reveals all parts of the identity of the person living there. In many cases the painter uses the same symbolism in her works, such as a toy-like bird silhouette which represents childhood. Another popular one is the lemon, referring to the saying “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”. Depicted in various ways, the meanings differ from one to the other, for example a halved lemon symbolizes a secret gladly revealed. Touching the heel of a foot or the mouth, the lemon shows the supporting yet inhibiting effect of the changing form of one’s identity.
The exhibition Meaning in the off hours by Sofia Pashaei will be open to the public from September 8th to October 23rd, 2022 at Ballon Rouge in Brussels. JW
SOFIA PASHAEI
The Blue Room, 2022
Oil on linen, 80 x 60 cm
Photo credit: Seppe Lewaut
Courtesy of the artist and Ballon Rouge, Brussels
www.ballonrougecollective.com
Art
Brussels Gallery Weekend - Xavier Mary at Baronian
As one of the longstanding participants of the Brussels Gallery Weekend, Baronian once again opens an exhibition of contemporary art in the course of the event. This year the gallery shows the works of Belgian artist Xavier Mary (1982). In his solo show Black Hole Sun, the artist investigates the discrepancy between spiritual dimensions and modern society in a conceptual and poetic manner.
His works combine mythological and technological elements, making them seem to be located in the past, the present, and the future at the same time. Reflecting on modern civilization, humankind, and consumer culture, the artist takes a critical stance toward our industrialized world. The inspiration for his exhibits originated from his travels through Southeast Asia, where he experienced both spirituality and highly innovative technology. The ancient architecture and mechanics of the sculptors, as well as the contrast between the vibrant cities and the untouched nature of the jungles, fascinated him deeply. Xavier Mary combined these impressions in his post-industrial sculpture and post-apocalyptic, mythical realism, creating art of absurd cleverness and technological motorized skills.
The exhibition Black Hole Sun by Xavier Mary will be open to the public from September 8th to October 8th, 2022 at Baronian in Brussels. JW
XAVIER MARY
3x Bouddha
Courtesy of the artist and Baronian Brussels
www.baronian.eu
Art
Brussels Gallery Weekend - Sophie Kuijken at Galerie Nathalie Obadia
As a participant in the Brussels Gallery Weekend, the Galerie Nathalie Obadia presents the sixth solo exhibition of Belgian artist Sophie Kuijken.
For almost 20 years, the works of Sophia Kuijken remained undiscovered until they were first shown in a museum exhibition in 2011. This exhibition however displays the latest works of the painter, which seem like an interplay of different art eras: Her portraits combine figures in the manner of Flemish Primitives with mannerist stretched bodies and powerful lighting reminiscent of Caravaggio. Impressionist lighting effects recur in a few works as well. Despite the classical influence, she breaks away from the conventional approach of painting a lifelike model. In fact, her portraits are composed of various carefully selected photographs from the Internet. The result is an individual, cobbled together from different identities, characterized by a hidden vulnerability and vivid emotion. The depicted person appears strange and familiar at the same time, leaving the viewer caught between comfort and uneasiness. This creates a mystery and an elusive quality, although the portraits are technically flawlessly painted.
The contradictions within the subject of the portrait and the linking of epochal features and different genres blur the certainties of representation. What is depicted eludes temporal and spatial classification, yet the portrayed subjects seem present and catch the viewer's humanity in their deep gaze. The ambiguity is amplified in every aspect of the images, confusing and yet also touching the viewer. The exhibition by Sophie Kuijken will be open to the public from September 8th to October 15th, 2022 at Galerie Nathalie Obadia in Brussels. JW
SOPHIE KUIJKEN
O.O.P., 2022
Acrylic and oil in chipboard panel, 150 x 90 x 1,8 cm
Photo credit: Sophie Kuijken
Courtesy of the artist and the Galerie Nathalie Obadia Paris-Brussels
www.galerie-obadia.com
Art
Johan Tahon exhibits sculptures from another dimension
During his upcoming exhibition RAY, the Belgian artist Johan Tahon offers new insights into his work, which he displays in the gallery Gerhard Hofland. To create his art, Tahon draws inspiration from his own life and environment as well as his subconsciousness. His sculptures seem like creatures from another, superordinate world who have been instructed to deliver messages and truths, while also posing fundamental questions to humanity. An ancient atmosphere builds up around them, making them seem intense and kinetic but also strange as if they do not belong here. Fragile and yet tremendous, the sculptures are defined by their uneven surface, covered in hand-mixed glazes of a glowing palette of blue, white, and silver. Tahon explores the boundaries between the subconscious, our empirical world, and the beyond, resulting in timeless artifacts, distinguished by their deep gravity and vigorous materiality. In his work, he moves closer and closer to a universal essence echoing the human urge to create a larger meaning. The artworks by Johan Tahon involve the audience in a special aura, inviting it to reflect, contemplate and understand or even discover one’s own person.
The exhibition RAY will be open to the public from September 2nd to October 8th, 2022 at the gallery Gerhard Hofland in Amsterdam. JW
www.gerhardhofland.com
Art
Work from Soho Days by Paul Schrader
Paul Schrader first worked as a lawyer before giving up on this profession in order to pursue his passion for art. Ever since then, the German artist and his works defined by their strong colors and dynamic composition have been gaining popularity within Germany. In 2022, the young German artist was showing for the first time outside of Europe, at the Volta Art Fair in New York. Rather than sending his artworks to the fair, Paul Schrader opted instead to rent a studio in New York to create new artwork to be shown at the fair. Immersing himself in a new environment away from his comfort zone in Germany, he used his surroundings full of new impulses as a source of inspiration for his new works. The artworks from this fruitful and productive period will now also be shown in Germany. Entitled “Work from Soho Days”, this exhibition by Paul Schrader will open its doors in Munich. Open for only two days, the exhibition will be open to the public from the morning until late. The morning and early afternoons will be very calm, allowing visitors to take in the colorful works, before the bar opens and the sounds take off in the evening, transforming the exhibition into an immersive and fun experience.
The exhibition “Work from Soho Days” by Paul Schrader will be open to the public on July 16h and July 17, 2022, from 10 am at the Goldberg Studios, Müllerstrasse 46, Munich.
www.thankpaul.de
Art
Carl Hansen & Son Presents the VLA26 Vega Chair by Vilhelm Lauritzen
Carl Hansen & Son has introduced the iconic VLA26 Vega Chair by internationally renowned architect Vilhelm Lauritzen to its collection of design classics. Pioneer of Danish functionalism, Vilhelm Lauritzen is known for his creations, from buildings to furniture to doorknobs, thoroughly down to the smallest detail. In 1956, he worked on the construction of Vega, a building conceived as a universal meeting place for the labor movement that 40 years later has been turned into a concert venue to promote the cultural life of Copenhagen. For this building, the architect also designed chairs, tables, wood panels, friezes, and chandeliers, and it is indeed among these works that the VLA26 Vega Chair can be found. The VLA26 Vega Chair is a one-of-a-kind piece of furniture made combining steel, wood, textile, or leather, all materials that give it a slender and refined look. Instead, the dynamic curve of the back of the chair confers a distinctive character to the object, while the legs elegantly finished with wooden feet bring out exceptional craftsman-like detail. Today, the VLA26 Vega Chair becomes part of the Carl Hansen & Son Collection, and it will be produced in collaboration with Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects, who celebrate their 100th anniversary in 2022. VB
www.carlhansen.com
Art
Versace Home Takes The Stage at Milan Design Week 2022
The opulence of the Versace world is embodied in a new installation held at Palazzo della Permanente during the Milan Design Week. For this occasion, Donatella Versace worked with architects and designers Roberto Palomba and Ludovica Serafini to give life to a dreamlike scenario where art and design merge together. In this space, Versace's comprehensive home collection and all-new outdoor line take center stage. Contemporary seduction is the key. The red color is spread all around: across fabrics, leathers, precious silks, jacquards, and throughout the display. The La Greca motif is extended into the interior decor with an almost architectural three-dimensionality. Then in terms of collections, Versace presented the La Medusa collection composed of a sofa, a Trono armchair, and an upholstered bed covered in an all-new vinyl material. These pieces mix a youthful design with beautifully detailed stitching. The Stiletto collection introduces new objects in white, beige, and brown, and the Stiletto Outdoor collection features a three-dimensional weave of fabric straps coordinated with large, cozy cushions. This line is exhibited in the Secret Garden of the palace. VB
www.versace.com
Art
Missoni Tableware: The Art of the Table
Italian fashion brand Missoni has unveiled the new Missoni Tableware Collection produced and distributed by manufacturers Arnolfo di Cambio – Compagnia Italiana del Cristallo S.r.l., the historic Italian company that has produced tableware collections since 1963. Presented during the Design Week in Milan, the new pieces embody the art of table decoration with typical Missoni-style colors and patterns. Known for its colorful knitwear designs, Missoni has launched a collection of teacups, mugs, and dinner services that perfectly reflect the house’s codes. The new products are made of high-quality materials and Made in Italy. Coffee and Mug sets, Vases, and Knick-knack containers in golden, brilliant stripes, or classic zig-zag designs, alongside stylish Dinner Services in total white, tones of light blue and cobalt blue, or vibrant orange, violet, and fuchsia, are made of Fine Bone China. An explosion of colors invites customers to mix and match the various items to create new combinations. Instead, the Mouth-blown glass gave birth to elegant glasses in Transparent, Amber, and Shaded Charcoal Grey also adorned with zig-zag patterns. Then, the Silver Stainless Steel was used to craft essential design Cutlery characterized by an opaque silver-plating and Missoni motif on the handle. The Tableware Collection will be displayed at the Arnolfo di Cambio stand at the Salone del Mobile. VB
www.missoni.com
Art
Three Outstanding Artists at Art Rotterdam 2022
For the 23rd edition of Art Rotterdam, the iconic Van Nelle factory is hosting the booths of over a hundred leading galleries from the Netherlands and abroad. But among the artist presented, three of them stand out for their excellent works. The first one is Otobong Nkanga, with his art piece titled “Tied to the Other Side,” a gigantic tapestry realized in the innovative textile lab of the Textile Museum in Tilburg. In her practice, she uses raw materials such as mica, nickel, malachite, and copper, addressing one major issue: the exploitation of African countries to obtain these substances. Then another name to keep an eye on is that of South African artist Buhlebezwe Siwani. In her video “Eziko,” She speaks out against the legacy of centuries of colonization by the Dutch and the British. In the end, represented by EENWERK is American artist Sheila Hicks. Known for her innovative, woven sculptures, for which she has always pushed the boundaries of what is possible with fibers and yarns, she exhibits her latest masterpiece “Beacon". VB
www.artrotterdam.com
Art
Art Rotterdam 2022: Outdoor Artworks
From 19-22 May, Art Rotterdam comes back to Van Nelle Fabriek, the building icon of 20th-century industrial architecture and a Unesco World Heritage Site. This fair is the ultimate opportunity to discover new galleries as well as new artists. As the most renowned contemporary art fair in the Netherlands, Art Rotterdam offers a unique perspective and a platform for the latest developments in the visual arts. The 23rd edition will display, through the 10,000m2 space, the creations of emerging and established artists, alongside a record number of seventeen large-scale installations in the outdoor area. Since spring has finally come in the Dutch city, the art fair has set a series of socially engaged outdoor presentations that refers to the world around us, addressing important issues such as climate, pandemics, and populism. The first artist to welcome the public is Onno Poiesz with his work “De blauwen,” an allusion to the war and pandemic that dominated the beginning of 2022. Then, Tim Wes unveils his installation “Trauma Triggers Triumph” about the concept of the uomo universale. And in the end, among many other projects, stands that of Thierry Oussou. His “Equilibrium Wind” flag is a reference to the cotton plantations located in the district of Panouignan in Benin and the significant impact they have on the country's economic growth. Placed on top of Van Nelle Fabriek, this flag is a symbolic representation of all those people working in the shadows. The outdoor artworks at Art Rotterdam 2022 are ready to be discovered. VB
www.artrotterdam.com
Art
Louis Vuitton: “Coming of Age”
In loving memory and honor of Virgil Abloh, “Coming of Age” was unveiled at the Foundation Louis Vuitton in Paris, France, on April 8th. This is an extension of the group exhibition curated by Virgil Abloh in 2019 in Los Angeles, titled “Coming of Age”. Traveling to Paris, Beijing, Milan, New York, Munich, Tokyo, and Seoul, the exhibition centered around the concept, diversities, and complexities of male youth and boyhood. Central themes in this are traversing class, race, social economics, subcultures, isolation, and camaraderie. As a physical embodiment and homage to Virgil Abloh’s world, “Coming of Age” in Paris regroups, reimagines, and expands this original exhibition and its narrative story. It encourages activities and transforms visitors into participants, alongside artists, photographers, musicians, directors, and animators. This serves as an illustration of Virgil Abloh’s mission and achievement to democratize the dream, rendering it a domain open to the aspirations of all ages, genders, and races, from all walks of life. The extension of the global exhibition will play out over two weeks from April 13th, at the Frank Gehry-designed space. GH
www.foundationlouisvuitton.fr
Art
Tim Van Laere Gallery Presents Self Portraits and Nudes (Gesamtkunstwerk) by Jonathan Meese
Tim Van Laere Gallery presents SELF PORTRAITS AND NUDES (GESAMTKUNSTWERK), the fifth solo exhibition by Jonathan Meese at the gallery. Known for his multifaceted work, which includes paintings, installations, performances, and a body of sculpture in numerous mediums, Jonathan Meese is a German artist that plays with a sense of humor, a combination of both the grotesque and a powerful, original creative will. His paintings allow us to enter an alternative universe. Especially in this exhibition, Meese showcases a new series of works that captures the interplay of inner and outer worlds, merging imagination and reality. "SELF PORTRAITS AND NUDES," as the title predicts, deals with self-portraits and nudes. According to the artist, all self-portraits are nude, and all nudes are self-portraits. In addition, the art pieces want to celebrate the birth of the Gesamtkunstwerk, paying homage to evolution, nature, love, power, collage, abstraction, animalism, and art itself. SELF PORTRAITS AND NUDES (GESAMTKUNSTWERK) by Jonathan Meese will be on display at Tim Van Laere Gallery from April 7th to May 14th, 2022. VB
www.timvanlaeregallery.com
Art
Prada presents the exhibition “Role Play” at Prada Aoyama Tokyo
“Role Play” by Prada is an exhibition project organized with the support of Fondazione Prada, at Prada Aoyama Tokyo from March 11th til June 20th, 2022. The fifth floor of the iconic building designed by Herzog and de Meuron hosts a second version of the show on display at Osservatorio Fondazione Prada in Milan from February 19th til June 27th, 2022. Curated by Melissa Harris, the project explores notions of the search projection and invention of possible alternative and idealized identities. Strategies investigated within this are role-playing, the creation of alter-egos, and the proliferation of the self. These strategies are captured by photographic, visual, and audio works labeled as the ideal language for representing the idea of otherness and exploiting its objective nature and thus the sense of authenticity. London-based photographer Juno Calypso will present her photographic series What To Do With a Million Years, capturing a mansion entirely decorated with pink elements, owned by a mysterious group attempting to achieve immortality and eternal youth. Beatrice Marchi will present the audio work Never Be My Friend, focussing on one of her alter-egos, Katie. Also featured are satirical portraits by Haruka Sakaguchi and Griselda, a photographic series by Tomoko Sawada, and a two-screen video by Bogosi Sehukhuni. All of these capture the essence of otherness in many different ways, hopefully reaching the feelings of empathy in some way from the observers. GH
www.prada.com
Art
The Genius Immersive Experience
The Genius Immersive Experience guides the visitor through a creative, multi-sensory journey. The show presents an interactive experience through the eyes of Leonardo Da Vinci and pushes the boundaries of visual storytelling. Its multi-media concept brings the exhibition and show to an astonishing new level. Just as the Italian painter, craftsman, sculptor, architect, and engineer was ahead of his time in creating works, which embody true Renaissance humanist ideals, the show innovatively merges past, present and future. What's it like inside one of the brightest minds that ever existed? How can you touch, play, hear and live iconic works of art? The Genius Immersive Experience provides a space to not only receive but experience the answers to these questions and more. Science, art and intuition were at the core of Da Vinci’s approach to creation and exploration of the world. The master himself famously said: "All our knowledge has its origins in our perceptions". Perceptions that are brought to life by The Genius Immersive Experience creators through revisiting Leonardo’s inventions and ideas within a modern framework using cutting-edge audiovisual technology. Almost 80 million real pixels, 50km of cabling and more than 350,000 projected lumens come together to create a sensory explosion. In the revision of Leonardo’s work, the Genius Immersive Experience explores what his vision might have been making use of the resources that are available in the realm of art today. Providing a new lens on ecology, nature, science, space exploration and modern art the show investigates the present through the past, exemplifying methods and possibilities of the future.
Art
Heliotropo 37 – Fondation Cartier
Fondation Cartier announced the exhibition named Heliotrop 37, by Graciela Iturbide, who carries the W. Eugene Smith and the Hasselblad price – two of the most distinguished photography prices to exist - and has been practicing the métier of photography for over 50 years. This exhibition in Paris marks the debut of the Mexican photographer in France and shows collected works from, captured between the 1970s and today. Heliotropo 37 – which is an acronym that alludes to the address of Graciela Iturbide’s studio in Mexico City, presents over 200 images, from iconic works to more recent, unshown ones. Graciela Iturbide, whose photography is determined by a black-and-white color scheme, has further implemented a unique, entirely unedited color series into Heliotropo 37. Her works sound out the depth of human mysticism, leveling off somewhere between a raw, documentative style and poetic depiction of the obscurities of life. The artist herself describes her profession as a ritual, where picking up the camera is inevitably followed by the search for symbolism. “I look for the surprising in the ordinary, which I couldn’t have found anywhere else in the world,” is how Graciela Iturbide defines the driving force between this search. With the striking character of her photos, the exhibition promises to leave a lasting impression on the viewer, inciting a dialogue that revolves around the strange beauties of humanity, the animal kingdom, seemingly ordinary objects and the bond of nature.
Heliotropo 37 by Graciela Iturbide is on show from February 12th to May 29th 2022 at Fondation Cartier Pour L’Art Contemporain Paris.
www.fondationcartier.com
Art
Fendi at Design Miami 2021
On the occasion of the art fair Design Week in Miami 2021, Fendi decided to collaborate with the African-rooted furniture brand Mabeo. Peter Mabeo founded the brand in 1997 and expanded to the international market in 2006, following numerous local commercial projects in his home country Botswana, Africa. Mabeo set his goals high and made it his mission to embrace and raise awareness about African artisans, characterized through a minimalistic approach with emphasis on purity and conscious use of natural materials. For the special project, named Kompa, Silvia Venturini Fendi, Delfina-Delettrez as well as creative director Kim Jones worked closely together with Peter Mabeo to ensure the highest quality and a highly recognizable aesthetic. Kompa can be translated into something complete, which resurfaces in works like the Gabinyana Table Lamp, based on the silhouette of the Gabi-Gabi sculpture, the biggest piece of the collection. Woodworkers and experienced artisans in ancient methods of pottery-making join forces to create one of the most prominent furniture pieces of the collection—the Lana Stool. The furniture piece is a multi-functional work that aesthetically revolves around the letter F and that can be used either as storage containers, stools, or assembled as a side table. The exceptional furniture pieces are the result of individual artists fusing their crafts to create a perfect symbiosis between structure, functionality, and natural materials.
www.fendi.com
Art
ULAY Foundation Project Space: The Metamorphosis of the Body
The Ulay Foundation has opened its doors to a new exhibition launched under the name Body Ecstatic Body Eclectic Body Eccentric. The exhibition investigates the notion of the body through a variety of media such as moving images, photography as well as performance. The exhibitions features artistic positions concerning the body from the 1970s to recent days, which makes for an intriguing insight into the influence of the digital and post-digital realms that have shaped our perception of bodies immensely. Touching upon current topics with political value, Body Ecstatic Body Eclectic Body Eccentric thematizes traditional conceptions of gender and sexuality, self-presentation and the female narrative of the fight for social justice. In this sense, the exhibition proposes insight into what the body desires these days, how they metamorphose and adapt to societal pressure and consequently how the body can break free from the limitations that are postmarked upon them by certain standards. Particularly focusing on the woman’s body in these scenarios and considering the recent developments of the pandemic too, the exhibition unveils how economic, political and reproductive rights are under attack worldwide.
Body Ecstatic Body Eclectic Body Eccentric, curated by Hana Ostan Ozbolt, is on show at the ULAY Foundation Project Space in Ljubljana until October 29th 2021.
www.ulayfoundation.org
Art
Gallery Weekend Discoveries: Tobias Pils and Joey Bradley
On the occasion of the Gallery Weekend Discoveries, befriended artists Tobias Pils and Joey Bradley have come together for their first namesake exhibition at the Capitain Petzel gallery. Although the two artists express their creativity in opposing practices; Pils in grey-scale suggestively figurative scenes and Bradley in explosive and coloful abstract paintings, a closer examination of their works showcases surprising parallels. Their contrasting yet complementary ways of practice unveil an intriguing synergy that emphasizes their individuality and uniqueness while intertwining their artworks into one entity. The common ground of the artworks is the use of figuration and distinctive shapes. While Bradley relies on figurative, expansive shapes determined by their colors, Pils uses more stylized, abstract imagery. The resulting expressive sceneries seem to portray a moment in time from which an entire narrative embarks that unfolds itself with the observes imagination. “I’m not so interested in storytelling in my own work. In painting, beginning, middle and end are present on the surface and available all at once,” reflects Bradley’s view on narrating through his paintings. Similarly, Pils defines his paintings as being “about travelling – without a beginning, a middle, nor an end.”
The artwork of Tobias Pils and Joey Bradley is exhibited at Capitain Petzel, Berlin, from September 15th to October 23rd 2021.
www.capitainpetzel.de
www.tobiaspils.com
www.josephbradleystudio.com
www.gallery-weekend-berlin.de
Art
Gallery Weekend *Discoveries: Compliance
The pursuit of self-optimization has gained tangible significance over the past decades. Self-fulfilling aspirations such as academic success, professional advancement, character development and altering one’s appearance occupy the human mind. The physique of the body stands in the limelight of this optimization fever. The desire to look one’s best is majorly impacted by the constant state of comparison that the individual is confronted with, whether in mirrors, social media or the real world. While optimizing oneself and striving for the best version is an immanent human trait driving forward evolution, the idea of constantly evolving into a better, stronger and faster version of oneself, cultures a toxic mindset. In this mindset, thoughts turn into a torrent that allures with positively labeled attributes like discipline, routine and dedication. Somewhere along the lines of gym sessions, workout videos and fitness gear, determination turns into compulsion. Megan Marrin, known for installations with medieval and torture elements, expresses this mind game in her exhibition Compliance. A series of paintings show athletic devices – ballet barrés and gym machines, in a minimalistic manner, exposing them in all their cold, neutral object-ness. With elements of modernist architecture, Marrin’s work sketches how purposeful spaces turn humans into objects that fall victim to hyper-optimization. The exhibition captures the turning point between free will and societal constraint. Marrin unifies the notions of aesthetics and function not only in the artworks but in the exhibition location itself, where the space functions as a medium to display the art – similar to how athletic activities showcase the fit body. Marrin's exhibition evokes both the discomfort and the desire for the visibility of bodies and, in an abstract form, the social pressure to conform to ideals postmarked on individuals by a collective effort to preserve the body in its finest state.
Compliance is exhibited at Efredemis, Berlin, from September 4th - October 7th 2021.
www.efremidisgallery.com
www.gallery-weekend-berlin.de
Art
Brussels Gallery Weekend: Thinking Two Heads
Thinking: Two Heads is a collaboration between artist Ana Mazzei and Fabian Peake. The exhibition at Galeria Jacqueline Martins unites their visions, despite their diverging backgrounds and generation. Mazzei (1980) displays floor installations of human and non-human shapes and abstract objects made from wood and metal. These studies of space are replenished by vivid paintings and sculptures by Fabian Peake (1942). Hoping to encourage an experimental development process for the exhibition, Mazzei and Peake cultivated an extensive letter correspondence in advance of the show. In these writings, they expounded common ideas, symmetries and equivalences that manifest in both of their artworks. This exchange of ideas and views, which largely contributed to the dynamic between the singular art pieces, is part of the exhibition. The pivot point of their artworks is the concept of staging individual elements into a composition. Peake’s distinctive shapes and color contrasts seem to be positioned independently while being inextricably intertwined into the motif as a totality. Convergent with the staged paintings and sculptures, Mazzei’s installations are constructed in a calculated manner. With the fragments of the pieces wide apart or narrowly arranged, the composition of the installations makes them appear as an inherent part of the room. The placement of the installations guides the visitors through the gallery space, leaving in the open where art ends and open space begins. Although the duo exhibition displays two diverging aesthetics from artists relying on opposing mediums, the exhibition exemplifies that next to visual harmony, the intention, execution and interpretation of art determines a holistic collaboration.
Thinking: Two Heads is exhibited at Galeria Jacqueline Martins, Brussels from September 9th - 30th October 2021.
www.galeriajaquelinemartins.com
www.anamazzei.com
www.fabianpeake.co.uk
Art
Brussels Gallery Weekend: Soap Opera
For the third time, Takahiro Kudo exhibits his most recent works at the Archiraar gallery. Kudo’s creativity often revolves around the idea of restriction, he defines the physical presence of humans as a state of being trapped. Since the body is the vessel for human’s mental activity, Kudo pursues the idea that restriction itself is the matrix of human purpose. Given the development of the past month and the succession of a global pandemic, Kudo investigated the term of restriction in a new light. In times where turning inwards, metaphorically and literally, was not a choice but a given, the notion of restriction has changed. Various practices and concepts of social life have been put on hold. Resulting from the forced collective social sabbatical, society has newly defined what it means to be connected or secluded. In his most recent works, Kudo channeled his own development during social distancing in recent times. Reflecting on his personal experiences with separation and connection, he discovered a new meaning of the term that applies to the fluctuating intimacies of private lives. Aligned with the close to real-life concept of his work, Kudo experimented with soap and acrylic glass, both materials that symbolize self-care and separation. By depicting private yet common narratives, the exhibition of Kudo’s work illustrates the dynamics behind distancing oneself in social engagement, the commodification of happiness and its consumption.
Soap Opera is exhibited at Archiraar Gallery, Brussels, from September 9th - November 6th 2021.
www.archiraar.com
www.takahirokudo.com
Art
Art for Days: Brussels Gallery Weekend 2021
From renowned museums to exquisite galleries, small artist’ ateliers and café exhibitions – Brussel’s cultural repertoire is of an impressive spectrum in which the traditional and old-school aligns with the urban contemporality. Since 2008, each year in September the art hubs of the city become the showplaces of the Brussels Gallery Weekend, an undertaking that highlights this diverse art scene and its spectators. A dynamic program of exhibitions, panel talks and gallery tours enables the visitors to immerse themselves into the local art scene. A special exhibition named Generation Brussels supports young talents by providing them with an opportunity to show their art. With 46 participating galleries and 14 guest venues, the weekend promises a plethora of exhibitions. Free spirits create their own routes and roam through the galleries as they please, yet for those who enjoy some guidance, seven routes of an hour and a half accompanied by an expert are offered. In addition to the exhibitions, the Brussels Gallery Weekend includes special occasions such as book launches, exclusive visits, performances and more.
The Brussel Gallery Weekend takes place from September 9th until September 12th 2021. The opening hours are 11am to 7pm, with an exception to the opening day on which art enthusiasts can visit the galleries until 9pm.
www.brusselsgalleryweekend.com
Art
Gallery Weekend Berlin: Ashley Hans Scheirl at Crone Berlin
Installation view, Ashley Hans Scheirl, Currencies of De*Capital Delirium, Galerien Crone Berlin, 2021
As part of this year’s Gallery Weekend, Crone Berlin is presenting a solo exhibition by the artist Ashley Hans Scheirl, who, together with her/his partner Jakob Lena Knebl, will be exhibiting in the Austrian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2022. Paintings, sculptures, and drawings merge in the gallery spaces to form a room-filling installation. They lead the visitor into an exuberant, seemingly insane dream world. Consumption and the search for meaning, restriction and freedom, greed and renunciation, excess and isolation, rebellion and resignation, identity and transformation, gender and hierarchy, individual lifestyles and the global economy of rejection collide here and culminate in a digital-anarchist-neutralized big bang, or at least in a new world currency that gives the exhibition its title: Currencies of De*Capital Delirium. Angela, Angela Scheirl, Angela Hans, Angel Hans, Zeze Hans, Ah, A A A A, Hans Scheirl, Hans, Hansi, Hansda, Hans von S/hit, Scheirl, Ashley Hans Scheirl was born in Salzburg (Austria), in 1956. She/He lives in Vienna. The work she did in the 1990s as part of London’s underground dyke scene contributed to the development of a conceptual practice that was constantly exchanging with the Viennese scene via the techniques of experimental cinema, painting, object art, actions in public space, performance and music, with all genres treated as equal. Indeed, in this artist’s practice, these “disciplinary techniques” are brought together to function on the model of a lesbian, queer sexuality. This transitioning of one fine arts category toward another was accompanied during these years when the artist was moving between London, Vienna, and New York by a metamorphosis of her/his own body, helped by the injection of testosterone. Her/his mutating name reflects this constant becoming which is never really static. Her/his recent self-expression in the use of painting, after multiple experiments with Super 8 and video cameras, encouraged Angela— now Hans—to transform her/his masculine look by a new phase of emancipation and to become Ashley, a painter who carefully cultivates her/his androgynous appearance.
www.gallery-weekend-berlin.de
Jakob Lena Knebl & Ashley Hans Scheirl Seasonal Greetings. Kunsthaus Bregenz, Oesterreich, 2020/2021, Installation view, Ashley Hans Scheirl Das Labor, Operationssaal, 2020. Photo: Markus Tretter, Lindau
Art
Friedemann Vogel appointed Ambassador of International Dance Day
The International Theatre Institute (ITI) annually proclaims International Dance Day on April 29th. First established on the occasion of the great dance reformer Jean-George Noverre’s birthday by the ITI’s Dance Committee in 1982, the International Dance Day is a celebration of dance as a universal language of human expression in all its forms. Every year, an important personality from the dance world is chosen to compose a message for the occasion. This year, the renowned international ballet star, Principal Dancer and, “Kammertänzer” of the Stuttgarter Ballett Friedemann Vogel has been selected as Ambassador and Message Authore for International Dance Day. The Stuttgarter Ballet is proud to have a dance from its own ranks filling in this honorable position. In the face of the ongoing lockdown and closure of cultural institutions, it is especially important for artists to able to express themselves and uphold their passion for the arts. The International Dance Day provides a special platform for this. Thomas Detrich, Artistic Director of the Stuttgarter Ballett says in this regard: “I cannot imagine a better Message Author for International Dance Day than Friedemann Vogel. An exceptional dancer and artist who always wants to explore and expand his own boundaries, as well as those of his art form and is open to dance in all its facets.”
Art
Jonathan Meese x TVLG_Chamber
Tim Van Laere Gallery inaugurates an additional exhibition space featuring a series of ceramic masks by Jonathan Meese. The artist combines elements of painting and sculpture, in line with the creative, grotesque expressiveness he is known for, in his new exhibition. The dynamic, performative aesthetics of the ceramic and bronze masks illustrate the antagonistic relationship between good and evil, inspired by ancient times, history, and contemporary popular culture in form and color. Meese’s artistic language represents the experimental outlook of the new TVLG_Chamber that is set to co-exist with the main exhibition area of the renowned Antwerp gallery. The exhibition, titled ERZCERAMICS DE LARGE (ABER BITTE MIT SAHNE), will be displayed from February 4th to March 6th, 2021 at Tim Van Laere Gallery, Antwerp.
www.timvanlaeregallery.com
JONATHAN MEESE, ZARDOZ SCHREIT DICH!, 2020. Ceramic, 32,5 x 31 x 7 cm. Courtesy Tim Van Laere Gallery, Antwerp
FIAF: 'The Art of Perfume' with Frédéric Malle
The French Institute Alliance Francaise played host to a very special guest, Frédéric Malle, publisher and a leading authority in the world of perfume, for an online talk labeled ‘Rendezvous LIVE: The Art of Perfume with Frédéric Malle’. The talks took place at the FIAF headquarters in New York and was hosted by journalist Melissa Ceria.
Éditions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, a line of fragrances created at the turn of the century, was so influential and significant that Rizzoli has dedicated a new book entitled ‘Éditions de Parfums Frédéric Malle: The First Twenty Years’. Exceptional raw materials and holding his perfumers to the highest standards, Malle imposes no time constraints, budget or marketing boundaries; seeking to bring out the best and encourage perfumers to seek out more unique and adventurous sensations in the pursuit of enlightened and surprising fragrances.
The minds that came together to create their masterpieces under Malle are a diverse team of perfumers from around the world and true masters of their shared craft. These creative and inventive individuals include Pierre Bourdon, Bruno Jovanovic, Olivia Giacobetti, Sophia Grojsman, Jean-Claude Ellena, Fanny Bal, Dominique Ropion, Carlos Benaim, Edmond Roudnitska, Edward Fléchier, Maurice Roucel and Ralf Schweiger.
The FIAF, one of the largest and most respected centers of French-American Activities in the U.S, proudly welcomed Frédéric Malle to find out more about the extensive process of creating this incredible collection of fragrances. Embracing every known style and olfactory family while striking out into bolder and more unexplored aromas was a shared mission among the perfumers. This rare event shed light on the art of perfume, lessons and stories on refining a craft and managing a team of exceptionally talented people working in the same field to great effect. French and American cultures met to celebrate a shared love of luxury perfumes and the magic that allows new and exciting fragrances to be brought into the world in this rare online talk.
www.fredericmalle.com
www.fiaf.org
Art
Rome De Bellegarde x Ettinger
French luxury cognac maker, Rome De Bellegarde, and the British heritage brand, Ettinger, have partnered to create a limited run of 50 gift boxes. These opulent gift boxes include a 100ml bottle of Rome de Bellegarde’s rare limited edition X.O. cognac as well as a four ounce Ettinger hip flask augmented with a butter soft leather brandishing the logo of these two esteemed brands marking their collaboration. Rome de Bellegarde dates back to France’s King Henry III and is survived by the new generation of the Bellegarde family who resurrected their ancestor’s savoir-faire in exquisite cognac. Ettinger, founded in 1934, is proud to jointly release a vessel to hold one of the finest cognacs in the world today. Rome De Bellgarde’s signature orange color was the inspiration for the tan of leather that wraps around the flask, making it warmer to the touch, a welcome reprieve from the cool breath of Winter. CEO of Ettinger, Robert Ettinger, has said of the collaboration, “it is always a pleasure to work with another craftsmanship brand and hope our flasks continue to be enjoyed long after the X.O. cognac is finished!” Of the esteemed partnership and collaboration, Rome De Bellegarde’s owner David Romuald-Bellegarde Smeralda, has doted on Ettinger with similar praise, stating “we are truly honored to share this collaboration with a great craftsmanship brand such as Ettinger, who in many ways share a similar story to the Bellegarde family and display great resilience. This limited edition box was designed with our customers in mind making sure they get the very best from us.” The gift boxes retail for £499 and represent the best that both houses have to offer. The flasks can be customized with the recipient’s initials for enhanced personalization and richness of character.
www.ettinger.co.uk
www.romedebellegarde.com
Art
The Tigress
Marina Abramovic realizes her lifelong study of Maria Callas, as a profound and stimulating world premiere, together with influential composer Marko Nikodijevic. Maria Callas also known as “The Tigress” was an American soprano of Greek heritage, born in the ‘20s in Manhattan. The singer captivated Abramovic’s imagination, inspiring her to create an opera project with Callas at its centre. 7 Deaths of Maria Callas, references some of Callas’ most famous scenes, Carmen, Tosca, Otello, Lucia di Lammermoor, Norma, Madame Butterfly and La traviata, reimagined with striking intensity by Abramovic. The tragic fates of Callas in the aforementioned performances are integrated fascinatingly with the singer’s real life character, moments from her personal life and also from her space in the limelight. Abramovic’s role is all encompassing, directing, stage designer and also appearing on stage in the second part of the evening’s performance, showcasing the multifaceted talent of an artist who is perhaps one of the most influential creatives of her time. The opera scenes are sung by a range of singers, namely Selene Zanetti, Adela Zaharia and Hera Hyesang Park, revitalized by Marko Nikodijevi?’s compositions. Abramovic’s obsession with the singer is longstanding, “for twenty five years, I have wanted to make a work dedicated to the life and art of Maria Callas”. Abramovic delivers a visual spectacle on stage, her passion for the life and career of Callas at its epicentre.
www.staatsoper.de
Art
Cartier: Crystallization of Time
Stare long enough at any rock, gemstone or mineral and you will see the beauty in natural formations once hidden beneath the Earth’s 4.6 billion year old crust. Since 1989 Cartier has held no less than thirty four exhibitions in world-renowned art museums but only now will they host an exhibition focused on contemporary pieces spanning from the 1970’s onwards. The purpose of the exhibition is to explore the perennial beauty of Cartier creations, a classic beauty retained and untarnished by the ravages of time. Aptly titled, ‘Crystallization of Time’ the legendary Jeweller will hold the exhibition at The National Art Center of Tokyo to explore the relationship between their creations over time. Up to 300 works, including contributions from private collections, act as mirrors that offer an astute insight into the eras and evolutions of Cartier. Beyond this exhibition of their past ‘Crystallization of Time’ will foreshadow Cartier’s vision for the future. The exhibition will be presented in three unique perspectives including, ‘Material Transformation and Colors’, ‘Forms and Designs’ and ‘Universal Curiosity’ along the axis of time. ‘Forms and Designs’ will explore the micro-architectural nature of their design ethos as well as their use of essential lines and spheres to create unique and iconic jewellery.
In large part refusing to conform or settle is what adds to their timeless qualities, the essence that there is nothing quite like Cartier on the market. As the second act on their timeline, ‘Forms and Designs’ will feature ‘Harmony of Chaos: Accident of Design / Accident of Nature’ which seeks to explore how life’s happenstance adds to our understanding of beauty. In 1967, when Cartier London released the Crash watch, they implored this design quality, the end product being a watch whose case had the appearance of being run over by a car. As gemstones are naturally formed there is an element of random natural occurrence that takes place as the rocks form, from this Cartier explored how to capture the unpredictable while still producing a fashionable product. The exhibition will also play host to a number of rare pieces from private collections, some pieces dating back as far as 1907. The scope of this exhibition can not be understated, from Nils Herrman’s Cartier collection Egyptian motifs resurface; a greater dialogue with our past is opened up through timeless designs, a Scarab brooch brandishing rubies, emeralds, platinum and antique blue faience alongside a Scarab necklace in yellow gold date back to 1925.
Cartier’s ‘Crystallization of Time’ is exactly what it claims to be, reinforced and hardened into something beyond reproach; displaying the opulence and dedication to lasting quality that Cartier is unabashedly known for. The exhibition will run from October 2nd – December 16 at The National Art Center, Tokyo.
Art
Miron Zownir: 'City Landscapes'
In his upcoming solo exhibition ‘City landscapes’ Miron Zwonir, celebrated international documentary photographer, will put his usual focus into the background. Social outcasts, by choice or through disadvantage, are now only incidental subjects in the frying pan of a harsh metropolis bursting at the seams. The dark prince of noir photography will bring a cross section of over forty years of photography to Galerie Bene Taschen. The German-Ukrainian photographer lives in a world of contrast where repression and destruction guide the eye in a re-education of cities as a background for all change that people encounter within themselves. The strange creatures and tall shadows cast by streetlamps are products of their city, but ultimately never defined by them. Resilient and fervid throughout Zownir’s body of work are the fringe cultures set adrift in maddening urbanity.
Cities like Los Angeles, New York, Berlin or ones in Eastern Europe all beg similar questions. How does one exist in any of these environments and retain a strong sense of self? Zownir’s metropolises are on a merry-go-round of destruction, creation and somewhere in the chaos, transformation. Miron Zownir has been displayed in group and solo exhibitions at Bene Taschen before but never as cohesively as this. The gallery will display his most impactful photography including excerpts from his book ‘RIP NYC’ and scenes from his series ’Berlin Noir’. The very definition of normality and what it means to be you will be in question, leaving visitors with contrasting feelings on society at large as they depart. You can see more of this radical international photographer’s work in Cologne from September 7th until October 12th at Galerie Bene Taschen with an early reception on the 6th.
www.benetaschen.com
Art
William Blake Reborn in New Tate Britain Exhibition
The largest exhibition of the artist William Blake, known foremost for his writing and then for his prophetic, dazzling and even terrifying works of art that were sorely overlooked during his lifetime, will now consume Tate Britain. The life of William Blake is one of fraught political angst, he offered the antithesis to the harsh rule of the church of England, paving a way forward for philosophers, artists, anyone that sought to explain in their own terms what it meant to be alive outside of religious definition. His vision was larger than his time allowed.
This artist, poet and author, will claim his day in the sun in a manner never before seen in Great Britain. Some of his best-known paintings including ‘Newton’ (1795 - c. 1805) and ‘The Ancient of Days’ (1827) which later became a frontispiece for an edition of ‘Europe: A Prophecy”, the artists final painting. The quaint domestic room above his family’s hosiery shop, in which his art saw its only real exhibition in the year 1809, will be reconstructed in great detail to offer guests an authentic sense of how his art was displayed in his time. The exhibition hopes to provide a biographical framework with which to better understand Blake, even highlighting the vital influence of his wife Catherine, who offered practical assistance and even coloration for his illuminated books.
With over 300 original works including prints, watercolours and paintings, this is the largest showing of Blake’s work in the last two decades. Two of his works ‘The Spiritual Form of Nelson Guiding Leviathan’ (c. 1805-9) and ‘The Spiritual Form of Pitt Guiding Behemoth c. 1805) will be projected onto an enormous wall in the grand sense that Blake had imagined. Tate intends to reintroduce Blake to the public using modern techniques. From the 11th of September until February next year this wide range of the artist’s work will live at Tate Britain.
Tate.org.uk
Art
John M Armleder CA.CA.
John M Armleder has never accepted the traditional boundaries of the different artistic disciplines. Regarded as one of the most influential concept, performance and object artists of the modern era, Armleder’s playful approach to artistic expression draws inspiration from a wide variety of sources, influential art movements, such as Modernism, Constructivism and Op-Art, as well as design, painting and pop culture.
Time after time, Armleder combines familiar tropes from art history with modern day items, commenting on our reality and the state of art itself. This juxtaposition of opposites runs like a red thread throughout his work, planning is faced by coincidence, profundity is shown alongside frivolity, exploring what art could and should be in an ever-changing cultural setting.
Both inside and outside the Schirn Kunsthalle, Armleder shows a number of specially created installations alongside some of his previous works. The freely accessible Rotunda is transformed into a life-sized installation by mounting twenty disco balls in different heights, capturing their reflections in the windows covered in mirror film.
John Armleder presents his seductive approach to Conceptual Art and stimulates the critical mind as well as the senses.
The exhibition will be open to the public until September 1st at the Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt.
www.schirn.de
Art
Fondation Louis Vuitton: Charlotte Perriand
Charlotte Perriand was one of the most influential figures in 20th-century design. This truly visionary woman stands at the origins of a distinctly modern art de vivre, whilst at the same time helping to redefine the relationships between the arts themselves. Her work was a reaction to the shifting social and political climate of the time, embodying the transition from outdated traditions of the 19th century to the 20th century’s urban living.
In honor of the 20th anniversary of her passing, the Fondation Louis Vuitton dedicates a major exhibition to her forward-facing work. They explore her impact on modernity and her perception of a ‘synthesis of the arts’, a link between the different disciplines and the influences they share. The Foundation consecrates all of its ten galleries to invite its guests to a journey through the 20th century, in the company of a truly pioneering artist.
Each of the different galleries recognizes one aspect of her broad range of work, spanning from her contributions to design and architecture to her political engagement. This is a unique opportunity to engage with the roots of modernity thanks to meticulously researched and faith reconstitutions.
The exhibition is open to the public from October 2nd, 2019 to February 24th, 2020 at Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris.
www.fondationlouisvuitton.fr
Art
Exhibition Brigitte Waldach
German artist Brigitte Waldach has gained national and international reputation over the last few years due to her large format drawings and installations. She creates pieces that exceed the two-dimensional canvas, combining bands and strings, drawings, sounds and text into a multi-sensual experience. The installation EXISTENZ, making use of the interplay of bands and strings, creates an interconnection between her works and elevates them to a new dimension.
Famous for her work on existential and sociopolitical subjects, the dynamic tangle of strings represent the relations between time and space, life and death as well as individuality and collective. Having found inspiration in the thinking and work of Felix Nussbaum, his presence and words become ever-present, at times through personal words or letters or through reference to key moments in his life, so closely tied with fate of the German Jewish community in the 20th century.
The exhibition showcases the artist’s combination of notions of the past and present with biographical components. The exhibition is open until the 10th of November in the Felix-Nussbaum-Haus in Osnarbrück.
Art
The cure
Entitled THE CURE (HEAVENLY PIE(A)CES), the new Richard Yasmine collection is an assortment of unconventional, serene yet hypnotizing white on white blended set up. For Yasmine, the concept is always the focus. Conceived as an experimental installation, THE CURE reads as an interpretation of our inner spiritual substance with a deep therapeutic message associated with the notion of time and the philosophy of karma with its idea of renaissance after each failure moment creating an influential emotional charge reflecting forgiveness and self-reconciliation. Yasmine’s collection is made of white powder coated aluminum structures combined with other materials such as brass, neo-cement, suede, Carrara marble and couture handmade embroidery with beads pearls and silk. It includes an armchair, a pendulum clock and a wall mounted lighting fixture. Each piece has a special significance related to the theme, Yasmine explains: “The armchair’s back is in a Headstone silhouette with a message of destiny and regeneration. The pendulum clock corresponds to time and how to catch the moment before it’s too late, yet it shows there is always brightness and hope at the end of the darkness. Third element is a wall-mounted light represented by a halo or an aureole with rays of light in a circular shape symbolizing the majesty or prominence of the soul.”
www.richardyasmine.com
Art
Autonomous Intimacy
Every house is unique and has therefore its very own autonomous intimacy. It has an atmosphere that emerges out of a few characteristic factors; the place where it is situated, the people who live in that house, and their specific interests are aspects that create a certain interior. Rugstar decided to delve deeper into these autonomous spheres to find out more about the underlying influences of houses and how Rugstar’s carpets became part of their very own intimate interior.
Starting in Berlin, one of the most eccentric cities of Europe with a very autonomous identity.18 interiors styled by Rugstar were shot by Local photographer Michael Tewes. Each picture tells the home its intimate individual story. The setting appeals to your imagination about the people, their relationship and their lives that largely take place here. Berlin is a very open-minded city and also the people who live here have largely incorporated this thought into their personal environments. Styles are provocatively combined with each other and produce fascinating compositions that create a layered and profound story about what is going on inside these walls. Rugstar’s beautiful rugs are off course leading and add an individual element to each interior with themes like Adam & Eve, The Garden of Eden, and many more.
The second city is Portland, one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the world with a very urban lifestyle. Photographer Laurie Black based in Portland took Rugstar to all the different kinds of homes in this very green metropolitan. Classic, authentic interiors are embellished with carpets containing graphic natural animal and plant prints executed in soft colors. These prints embody the Portland lifestyle wherein nature is fully coalesced with the urban city life. The inhabitants here have found a way to create an intimate urban design place that honors nature to the fullest.
The intimacy project is an expression of love for personal stories and through which inspirations they came about. In exchange for these, the Rugstar team will cook and share their vision about styling, designing and craftsmanship. Next stop: Beijing! Are you ready to share your autonomous story?
www.rugstar.com
Art
Hate Speech
Aggression and Intimacy
Hate Speech is a collaborated art project with artists: Thomas Baumann, Candice Breitz, Elena Aya Bundurakis, Tony Cokes, Petra Cortright, Folkert de Jong, Verena Dengler, Ryan Gander, Yuri Pattison, Signe Pierce, Jim Shaw, Gunther Skreiner, Markus Sworcik, Amalia Ulman, Martha Wilson, Joseph Zehrer. Presented until 18 April 2019 in the Künstlerhaus, Halle für Kunst & Medien (KM-) in Graz, Austria. The exhibition addresses the function of the institution as a place for societal, free debate and democratic discussion.
Free speech and freedom of public expression are an ever returning and essential element in human life. In order to live alongside each other, it is always necessary to keep searching for a way to live next to each other. Interacting means developing. By “picking” interactions as a human being, you choose to connect, which means blending yourself with the public and private.
This artwork was developed in response to current relationships between politics and multi-media. Communication contains so many layers today, layers within which humanity needs to wonder whether there is still real freedom of speech within the use and especially abuse of media.
The individual partakes in the interaction process, subconsciously searching for individual meaning and with that, the possible connotations of their own personal intimacy. Interaction arises from people responding to the social and political happenings around them, becoming more sensitive and their psyche becoming more aware.
The way people are connected to online social channels today and how they interact to one another is a tendency that determines a whole new order in communication. Users develop an extraordinary urge for connection, which often seems to be in conflict with their personal boundaries. Questions about identity arise and create an inner intimate crisis. The media has been a dominant middleman for a long time, and has become even more powerful due to the rise of social media platforms. These channels do not only report and interpret the news. Interaction is unfiltered and not viewed in light of context. This creates a solid breeding ground for fake-news and the manipulation of public opinion resulting in an overly sensitive personal psyche.
Online communication results in a contrasting combat between dedication and discarding, visibility and anonymity. The collective reaction to this has resulted in people challenging each other in a hostile manner. Users dare not express their real desires in this uncertain, undetermined environment where only roles are adopted, instead of real personalities. “Intimacy” is central in this collection; it conveys a need for demarcation from outside space and ‘The Other’, for retreat and silence, so as to be able to recognize and describe one’s own personal self.
www.km-k.at
Art
The Process of Existence
Art duo Vera Lehndorff and Holger Trülzsch have opposite backgrounds, but when they coalesce, an interesting socially critical manifesto emerges. Lehndorff, better known as “Veruschka” was a fashion model and developed through her career a critical view on the human body as a whole. Trülzsch started to look for social limits at the student movement in Munich during the sixties, where he mainly questioned art, music and politics.
Both were fascinated by the idea of "transformation", a concept that caused a lot of commotion in the 70s and 80s. Through bodypainting and photography, the duo challenged the media to mix traditional roles and question them instead of merely embodying and emphasizing them. Veruschka redefined the expectations of her as a regular model, she didn’t portray just one common version she transformed and hid herself beneath many.
Their work created a counter-reaction against the norms of capitalist society, especially the strict standards of beauty and presentation. The duo converted existing art methods into new symbolic expressional forms, with which they presented the complex stages of the human existence process in a new and less conventional way.
The sixties, seventies and eighties were times of change, and the work of Vera and Holger contributed with great success. They were criticized and rejected, but today their ideals are used as inspiration, that is why the SR Contemporary Art gallery in Berlin now officially display these leading controversial artworks.
www.srcontemporaryart.de
Art
Ballenesque — A Retrospective by Roger Ballen
With its probing, challenging images between painting, drawing, photography and installation, the work of American art photographer Roger Ballen is one of a kind. He was born in New York in 1950 but has lived and worked in South Africa for over 30 years and is often named as one of the world’s greatest art photographers. The term Ballenesque, which is already a firm part of the lexicon, is synonymous with his rich monochrome vision, psychological insights and constant reinvention.
His work is being displayed in the permanent collections of some of the best art institutions such as MoMa in New York, Tate Britain in London, Stedelijk Museum and Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Reflex Gallery in Amsterdam is hosting a double-sided exhibition of Ballen’s art, comprising a mini retrospective of 30 works and a selection of 150 Polaroid images. These constitute the first display of color images by the artist during his entire career and offer the opportunity to own an original Roger Ballen image in the form of a Polaroid. The exhibition will be open from the 23rd November until the 30th December 2017.
www.reflexamsterdam.com
Art
FENDI announces partnership with Galleria Borghese
The Italian fashion house Fendi has always had a strong connection to Rome and the fine arts. It all started, amongst others, with the restauration of the Trevi Fountain in 2015, followed by the opening of the first floor of Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana to the public, where Fendi’s headquarters are now. The brand recently announced a three-year-partnership with the prestigious Galleria Borghese in Rome, which is guarding the most relevant and best preserved paintings by Italian painter Caravaggio. Hence Fendi will be supporting the Caravaggio Research Institute, which sees the constitution at Galleria Borghese as a center of studies, diagnostics and artistic-historical research aiming to become a primary reference. To spread the word about the project, Fendi and the Galleria Borghese created an exhibition on the artist which will be taking place all over the world at the most high-end-venues. However, the first exhibiton that Fendi will be supporting is the “solo one”, which is dedicated to Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the most representative artist of the Baroque period in Rome. The exhibition will be inaugurated on the 31st of October and will be open to the public from November 1st 2017 to February 4th 2018.
www.fendi.com
Art
Michaël Borremans Dances at Zeno X
Michael Borremans has launched his sixth solo exhibition at Zeno X, a Mecca of contemporary painting in the heart of Antwerp, Belgium. Sixteen Dances, the title of the show, is primarily a reference to the changing and multi-faceted nature of painting, and how the medium has the ability to forever adapt to the contemporary zeitgeist. The paintings are structured into three series: this is a typical way of working for Borremans, who has a necessity to always dig deeper and discover new meaning through multiple variations of the same theme. The paintings function almost as vignettes, which give the exhibition a cinematic feel: a clear continuum is interrupted by random stills which confuse any possible narrative structure. This gives an ambiguous and dark atmosphere, encapsulating the morbid and grotesque scenes present in the paintings, such as babies dancing covered in blood and figures in straight jackets. Borremans undoubtedly takes references from Bosch, Bruegel and Goya in this series of works, which questions the morality of human nature and exploits its subconscious savagery and cannibalism. While absorbing these haunted tableaux, viewers are left feeling dread and disorientation: a feeling that permeates in our current age and society. The exhibition will run until October 14th 2017.
Art
Bottega Veneta and SCoP: when fashion supports art
Tomas Maier, Bottega Veneta’s creative director, has never hid his passion for art, making it a proper flagship of the Venetian brand’s attitude. Bottega Veneta showed for the first time its strong commitment to art and culture in 2001, when Maier introduced the “Art of Collaboration”: an ongoing project which invites photographers and visual artists in order to reflect brand’s aesthetic inside its campaigns.
This year the brand confirms its ever-lasting addiction to art, partnering with the Shanghai Centre of Photography in order to support four key international exhibitions hold at the most prestigious photography institute in China. SCoP is indeed considered worldwide the city’s very first place entirely dedicated to photography showcasing its best and diverse genres.
“Made in Germany: German photography from the 19th century to today” will be the first exhibition supported by Bottega Veneta. The projects will comprises an unparalleled selection of iconic masterpieces that together with contemporary examples will give an up-to-date and fresh touch to the entire exhibition.
The exhibition will run until April 2nd 2017
www.bottegaveneta.com
Art
ALL TOMORROWS SONGS at Kühlhaus Berlin
Kühlhaus Berlin proudly declares their hosting of the interdisciplinary group exhibition ALL TOMORROWS SONGS, featuring individual projects by 16 young artists who participated in ‘Making It’ – an international workshop centered around exploring contemporary socio-political issues through a wide range of artistic mediums.The workshop, the project, and the exhibition—was initiated by JAŠA.
ALL TOMORROWS SONGS functions as a public moment of representing the collective and cross-disciplinary effort, where artists from differing backgrounds collaborated side-by-side, to create unified, thematic works. A blending together of different forms and unique perspectives into one cohesive and deeply relevant multifaceted experience. Each project acts as a testament of the artists’ remarkable growth during the workshop, individually but also as a group. The whole process was a chance well embraced, to cultivate their capacity to listen, observe and conceptually intertwine, but most importantly – to connect with each other and their surroundings on a profound level.
The young artists’ projects each offer a distinct and deeply personal response to the current socio-political climate – with questions of positioning, self-expression and voice emergence, along with the perspective of responsibility to be a vehicle for others. Sharp poetic insights into the concept of ‘Nowness’ by these young, meaningful voices, who have recognized it as their sole reality. The overarching aim – a call for unity rather than isolation.
The exhibition will be held at Kühlhaus Berlin on November 8th 2024, from 6PM to 11PM.
www.kuehlhaus-berlin.com
Art
DIESEL X TOM OF FINLAND FOUNDATION
The celebration of Pride unites people across the globe, transcending boundaries in art, social norms, and culture. This provocative, inclusive mission is the core of the collaborative exhibition project of Diesel and the Tom of Finland Foundation.
Denim brand Diesel is partnering with the Tom of Finland Foundation to exhibit a special collaborative display in Tokyo in honor of the Foundation's 40th anniversary. Titled "Forty Years Of Pride," the exhibition will be hosted at the Diesel Art Gallery in the Diesel store in Shibuya from July 12 to Wednesday, August 14, 2024. This multi-faceted project is a highlight of their commitment to LGBTQ+ art advocacy, speaking to diversity and unity. This event not only celebrates four decades of preserving and promoting the iconic legacy of Tom of Finland but also offers a unique opportunity to reflect on Tom of Finland's impact on contemporary art, social consciousness, and its resonance with diverse audiences. Notably, the exhibition will feature "TOM House: The VR Experience," a groundbreaking virtual reality installation that provides an immersive, aural journey into Tom’s world.
With this global project, Diesel aims to support the artist community by providing a unique venue for openness, freedom, and love, underscoring the tremendous social and cultural impact of Tom of Finland’s work.
www.diesel.com
www.tomoffinland.org
Art
Brionvega X Mario Bellini - Milan Design Week 2024
Brionvega X Mario Bellini - Milan Design Week 2024 On the occasion of Milan Design Week 2024, the new three shades were released for the limited edition of Totem by Mario Bellini; Ruby, cobalt, and silver. These selected shades for the iconic Totems envisioned natural elements with the symbolism of uniqueness and timelessness. The introduced shades, thus, are very unique, never used in its long history, but closely tied to attention to the product design, resulting in the form of a simple cube with a daring color accent, reminiscent of a perfect, sculptural monolith. As the two speakers fold like wings on the side, the shape of a cube transforms into a Totem, magically revealing a complete Hi-Fi system that brings to life unique emotions. The unique design features enhanced the iconicity of the object and it also aligned with Materia & Natura, the theme of the design week, Fuorisalone 2024. Central to Mario Bellini’s Totem is the concept of innovative, unique, and timeless design as all elements collectively contributed to the artwork. The ideal fusion between design and art is the core element that created these three editions with high craftsmanship artworks. Characterized by its key aspects, the limited edition of Totem embraced elegance, audacity, strength, and purity. Moreover, it’s intricately linked to three exemplary natural elements: water, fire, and air. These distinctive finishes not only hazard and dare but also convey the notion of a singular masterpiece, an authentic artwork.
www.brionvega.com
Art
Philip Gay’s ‘Rewind’: A Photo Exhibition in Paris
Renowned photographer and long-time collaborator of ZOO Magazine, Philip Gay, is set to unveil his latest photo exhibition titled "Rewind" at Ellia Gallery in Paris, opening on the 21st of March. This exhibition showcases his elegant and sophisticated photography aesthetic, encapsulating his retrospective stories within the early 2000s fashion landscape.
His exhibition will feature a captivating array of Polaroid selections from his fashion shoots and portraits spanning from 2001 to 2011. These works were previously featured in various esteemed fashion magazines, including photo editorials with ZOO Magazine that aptly present his profound artistic vision. Notable among his legendary works are captivating shots featuring Hannelore Knuts, Olga Sherer, Eliza Cummings, Angela Lindvall, Pascal Greggory, Irina Lazareanu, and Sean Lennon. At the center of his artistic prowess, these photos will be presented in the exhibition. Moreover, the exhibition will offer an exclusive glimpse into Gay's creative process, featuring old contract sheets from that era alongside several larger prints of his more recent and daring fashion stories. These prints include erotic images that showcase the evolution of his artistry over the past few years.
Philip Gay’s ‘Rewind’ promises a mesmerizing journey through the lens of a visionary artist, opening at Ellia Art Gallery, 18 Rue de Turenne, on the 21st of March in Paris.
www.linktr.ee/PhilipGay
www.ellia-artgallery.com
Art
Aesop Sendlingerstrasse
Aesop's latest outpost, located on Sendlingerstrasse, is a testament to the beauty of simplicity and functionality. Embracing the International style that emerged in the 1920s, the store boasts a streamlined design that is unencumbered by excess ornamentation. The largely open plan invites visitors to explore key elements that serve distinct purposes—communal sinks for product trials, freestanding shelving for leisurely browsing, and a point-of-sale counter at the far end. The material palette, featuring stone, wood, and fabric, along with reflective and patinated metals, creates a rich and textured atmosphere. Despite the seemingly still and calm ambience, there's an underlying dynamism and playfulness within the store's stripped-back composition. Aesop Sendlingerstrasse integrates reconditioned pieces, such as wall-mounted consoles from a former Aesop store in Hanover and freestanding shelves designed by BBPR for Olivetti, New York. These elements contribute to the liveliness of the space, showcasing a harmonious blend of the pre-loved with the new. Founded in Melbourne in 1987, Aesop has been dedicated to formulating effective products with a commitment to ethics. A visit to Aesop Sendlingerstrasse promises not just a shopping experience but an immersion into the artful intersection of stillness and animated design.
www.aesop.com
Art
Brionvega Exclusive Cherrywood Finish for rr26 fo-st Radiofonografo
In a celebration of timeless design and craftsmanship, Brionvega introduces the Cherrywood finish for the iconic radiofonografo, originally designed by the Castiglioni brothers in 1965. Limited to only 100 numbered pieces, this exclusive edition invites passionate enthusiasts to become the custodians of a truly unique art piece, destined to be cherished across generations. Following the global success of the limited Canaletto walnut edition in April 2023, the Cherrywood finish is set to captivate aficionados with its dual nature—symbolic of strength and compactness, yet embracing the gentleness and elegance associated with cherry blossoms – a tree representing rebirth and beauty. Each radiofonografo undergoes meticulous handcrafting in Italy, the natural grain of the cherry wood adds a unique character to every piece, elevating the radiofonografo into an embodiment of rare and timeless beauty. Available for customer orders from July 1, 2023, this limited series offers partners an exclusive pre-order opportunity in June 2023. Brionvega's commitment to sustainability is reflected in the concept of creating products designed to be enjoyed for a lifetime and beyond. As Brionvega continues its mission to globally relaunch the icons of Made in Italy design, the Cherrywood radiofonografo stands as a testament to the brand's dedication to the preservation of timeless beauty.
www.brionvega.com
Art
Your Literary Wonderland
The French Maison, Louis Vuitton, is celebrating its role in the literary world– just as impactful as their role in the fashion industry. Following the success and significance of similar pop-ups around the globe, Louis Vuitton’s addition to the Art Basel art fair is a momentous occasion to explore and critically engage with the brand’s diverse array of works from the brand’s Editions catalog.
The Maison has explored several different concepts, areas, and disciplines within their publications, including the City Guide, Travel Books, and Fashion Eye collections, providing outlets for travel, design, art, and fashion alongside their future-oriented designs and meticulous craftsmanship. The publications and this pop-up celebrate the power and impact of freelance journalists, authors, and cultural savants that eloquently capture the essence of a subject looked through the peephole of the aesthetic gaze. The pop-up is open to visitors for the duration of the Art Basel, and the painter and illustrator, Yann Kebbi will be honoring the pop-up with an exclusive signing of his latest work for the Maison, the Travel Book Las Vegas. Gracing us with their presence, Kebbi is set to be on-site from four pm to five pm on the 13th and 14th of June – furthermore, Kebbi’s publication will also be available in the exclusive “Artist Edition”. Louis Vuitton invites clients and visitors on a journey across Maison’s literary works, from far-off destinations to wide-ranging themes, all soon to be discovered in the heart of Art Basel.
www.artbasel.com
www.louisvuitton.com
Art
Fondazione Prada's Tribute to Dara Birnbaum
Fondazione Prada honors the work of American artist Dara Birnbaum with its new, extensive survey exhibition, curated by Barbara London with Valentino Catricalà and Eva Fabbris. The exhibition will be on display at the Osservatorio, Fondazione Prada’s center of artistic experimentation and research that strongly resonates with the artist, who constantly challenges the percepts of art and mass media. The exhibition offers multiple angles from which to understand Birnbaum’s career: an insight into the artist’s wide range of media languages and her artistic exploration of diverse themes, which shape the exposition into a space of deep reflection. In Milan, one of Birnbaum’s best-known works, Technology/Transformation: Wonder Woman (1978-79), provides a first glance into her examination of gender biases across different media platforms. This video work highlights how, in an industry dominated by men, women’s representations alternate between being heroic or trivializing. Also included is Quiet Disaster (1999), three enlarged anime images portraying characters’ diverse facial expressions as a reaction to danger, staged on circular Plexiglas discs using Duratrans prints. Single-channel videos, such as Chaired Anxieties: Abandoned (1975), Pop-Pop Video (Kojak/Wang) (1980) and Fire! Hendrix (1982), are coupled together and comprised within the exhibition, as well as sound works, photographs and multichannel installations, such as Operations: December 16-17-18 (1998) and Journey: Shadow of the American Dream (2022).
Resulting from a partnership with the School of Digital Arts in Manchester, Dara Birnbaum will be on display from April 13th to September 25th, 2023 at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan.
www.fondazioneprada.org
Art
Traveling Affairs
This winter, NOMAD – a one-of-a-kind art and collectible design fair – begins an exhilarating journey with a multifaceted curatorial project, Artists in Flux, powered by Gucci. In accordance with NOMAD’s ambition to devise a unique platform where art, design and architecture can dialogue world-wide, this project explores travel culture through ideas of mobility and encounter.
Three internationally praised artists traveled with their Gucci luggage to hotel Grace la Margna in St. Moritz, where they presented their work from February 23rd - February 26th 2023 for the project’s first chapter. Concentrating on their artistic experiences and approaches, they also participated in a round table conversation organized by Monocle radio. The works of American artist Lola Montes Schnabel and Swiss artist Yves Scherer were displayed in parallel in the exhibitions organized by Nilafur and Golsa, while Nepalese artist Tsherin Sherpa collaborated with Mt. Refuge, a design studio at the front of Himalayan heritage. Schnabel’s recent work centers on tile paintings made from volcanic ash and clay from Mountain Etna in Sicily. Fluid lines and limpid forms allow her work to sway between figuration and abstraction. Scherer creates enveloping environments – narratives combined with fanfic and celebrity culture offer a romantic lens that transforms the viewer’s perception of the self, relationships and the everyday. Sherpa reconceives and reappropriates identities, symbols, colors and gestures in order to transcend their chronological and cultural limitations. His work is a scene of tension and continuous negotiation between tradition/modernity, sacred/secular and settlement/movement.
The collaboration’s resulting material will be available on NOMAD and Gucci networks.
www.nomad-circle.com
www.gucci.com
Art
At the Intersection of Champagne and Art
Ruinart’s relationship with art is inscribed in its history. The historic link was forged in the late 19th century when the French Maison showed audacity and modernity with its first advertisement created by Czech artist Alphonse Mucha. Ever since then, Ruinart has maintained these close ties to the world of art and the artists, who have reinterpreted its universe time and time again. In line with this continued commitment to not only creating excellent champagne but also artistic expression, Ruinart has partnered up with German-Dutch artist BD Graft for PAN Amsterdam. For this collaboration, the artist created 20 limited edition magnums which were not only exhibited but also auctioned off with all the proceeds having gone to the World Wildlife Fund. As Ruinart stated, “Nature loss and climate change affect all life on earth. To stop this, we need more nature. WWF will use the proceeds to secure forests worldwide. This fits in perfectly with the sustainability objectives that Maison Ruinart has set itself.” For each of the limited edition bottles, the 100% biodegradable “second skin” featured unique designs, numbering and a signature of this special artist. BD Graft has found success through his simple, yet recognizable visual language with nature and the human condition being central aspects of his work. Displayed at the Ruinart Lounge, in the middle of the art fair, each of the bottles was the embodiment of the iconic Maison, combining the art of champagne making with the artistic expression of a chosen artist.
www.ruinart.com
Art
Ninth Edition of the Max Mara Art Prize For Women
In 2005, Max Mara and Whitechapel Gallery brought the Max Mara Art Prize for Women into being. This biannual award, aiming to promote and support artists, identifying as women, hence enabling them to develop their potential with the gift of time and space, is the only one of its kind and awards its winner a six-month Italian residency tailored to fit the artist’s needs to realize her winning proposal. During this residency, organized by Collezione Maramotti, the winning artist will have the opportunity to realize an ambitious new project which will then be presented in a major solo exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery in London and at Collezione Maramotti in Reggio Emilia, which will then acquire it. As Bina von Stauffenberg, chair of the Max Mara Art Prize for Women jury, states, “It could not be more urgent or relevant to ensure that women artists are championed, and heard on the world stage. For more than a decade, this unique prize has successfully enabled women-identifying artists at different stages of their careers to develop their potential in extraordinary ways.” In late October, the eighth edition’s winner Emma Talbot’s exhibition The Age/L’Età was presented in Reggio Emilia after having been revealed earlier this summer at Whitechapel Gallery in London. On this special occasion the five shortlisted finalists, Rebecca Bellantoni, Bhajan Hunjan, Onyeka Igwe, Zinzi Minott and Dominique White, for the ninth edition have also been announced. Rebecca Bellantoni is an artist who currently engages in research looking at the city and its multiple worlds in relation to the psyche, soul and body of the city dweller. She realizes this through her wide-ranging practice encompassing moving image, installation, performance, photography, textiles, printmaking, sculpture, sound-text and ceramics. Bhajan Hunjan is a trained painter and printmaker closely associated with the Black British Art Movement. Through her practice defined by a very individual visual language of free-floating lines, symbolic colors and shapes, repetition and script motifs, she is encouraging the viewers to reflect on social, spiritual and emotional environments. Onyeka Igwe is an artist and researcher who engages with the question “how do we live together?” in her practice. Particular interest is given to how spatial, sensorial and non-canonical ways of knowing can provide answers to these questions, resulting in “figure-of-eights” drawing upon archives, narration and text to expose a multiplicity of narratives. Zinzi Minott’s practice is focused on the relationship between dance, bodies and politics and how dance can be perceived through the prisms of race, queer culture, gender and class. She is especially interested in the Black female body and Caribbean stories, such as the Atlantic Slave Trade and the migration of the Windrush Generation. Dominique White’s practice is weaving together the theories of Black Subjectivity, Afro-pessimism and Hydrachy with the nautical myths of Black Diaspora into a term she defines as the Shipwreck(ed) in relation to “a Black future that hasn’t yet happened but must.”
www.maxmara.it
www.collezionemaramotti.org
www.whitechapelgallery.org
Art
ADE promises a groundbreaking spectacle
Amsterdam Dance Event returns to Nxt Museum in a groundbreaking art and sound spectacle, connecting art, music, technology, and ideology. The unique event brings together local and international talents who create an intimate, multidimensional atmosphere, distinguished by diversity and surprising performances.
In collaboration with Transmoderna and powered by Grover, the event presents the ADE programme, showcasing the art of tomorrow in combination with today’s exceptional sounds. DJs, digital artists, designers, VJs as well as technologists, and sound designers come together in an extraordinary lineup of multimedia performance installations. Among the artists is Berlin-based DJ Dixon who plays his sets alongside Transmoderna’s artwork Xenopunk, composed of impressive visuals which form a crossover between the real and virtual world. Juliana Huxtable who made a name for herself as an artistic allrounder at the top of the New York dance scene is also part of the event: she will present her mesmerizing sets as well, which link electronic sounds with techno elements. Besides them and other professionals, the Artist in Residence programme will offer emerging talents the chance to present specially commissioned digital artworks alongside DJ performances.
The ADE programme at Nxt Museum in Amsterdam will be open to the public from October 19th to 21st, 2022. JW
www.amsterdam-dance-event.nl
www.nxtmuseum.com
Art
Espace Louis Vuitton München presents From South Africa
As part of the Fondation Louis Vuitton’s “Hors-les-murs” programme, Espace Louis Vuitton München is presenting the exhibition From South Africa, featuring photographic artworks by the two African artists Zanele Muholi and David Goldblatt. The gallery showcases a powerful series of colorful landscape photographs shot by Goldblatt. In these images, the artist portrays the complex relationship between South African people and their land, while he also explores the true meaning of architecture in the post-Apartheid era. Zanele Muholi presents the series Faces and Phases which consists of portraits of Black members of the LGBTQIA+ community from South Africa. Alongside those works, the exhibition also includes Muholi’s series Somnyama Ngonyama which shows the artist in autoportraits, evoking stereotypes of African women.
The two artists met in the Market Photo Workshop, which was initiated by Goldblatt. Muholi became the mentee of Goldblatt and got inspired by his political stances far beyond his death. Their activist aim of challenging their country’s past and present history regarding the human rights of black people and members of the queer community became significant to their body of work.
The exhibition From South Africa by Zanele Muholi and David Goldblatt will be open to the public from the 9th of September, 2022 to the 8th of January, 2023. JW
www.louisvuitton.com
Art
Brussels Gallery Weekend - Ritsue Mishima at Pierre Marie Giraud
Starting on Brussels Gallery Weekend, Dream of Fire, an exhibition by Ritsue Mishima will be presented at Pierre Marie Giraud. In this exhibition, the Japanese artist Mishima shows a new series of glass artworks to the public.
Inspired by the manufacturing of the glass itself, she creates organic, irregular, yet clear, and luminous forms. Even though glass is characterized by its transparency, her artworks are far from being colorless. In fact, the transparency allows the material to capture and shine in a wide variety of colors. Fascinated by the artistic approach of the artisans of Venice, where she had moved in 1989, Ritsue Mishima sets herself apart from their richly-tinted glass works: Using different and innovative techniques, the artist makes objects which due to their clarity, seem to melt into their surroundings. During her creative processes, Mishima variously explores and tests the limits of the material all the time. In doing so, she succeeds in adding new dimensions to the ancient and traditional craft. Her artworks, as she explains, intend to express “pure consciousness”, as “a place of no answers, only the process of keeping passion alive and acting upon feelings.”
The exhibition Dream of Fire by Ritsue Mishima will be open to the public from September 8th to October 1st, 2022, at Pierre Marie Giraud in Brussels. JW
RITSUE MISHIMA
Medusa, 2021
Blown glass, 39,5 x 44 x 44 cm
Unique
Courtesy of the artist and Pierre Marie Giraud, Brussels
www.pierremariegiraud.com
Art
Brussels Gallery Weekend - Andrea Büttner at Jan Mot
In the course of Brussels Gallery Weekend, Andrea Büttner is showing the second part of her exhibition Painted Ceiling and Floor at Jan Mot.
The German artist had previously shown the first part of this exhibition in an art gallery in London in the year of 2019. This time however, the artwork, a painted ceiling, rather resembles a painted grid. Büttner had already shown such a grid in another gallery the previous year. The artist's main focus is to show ceiling painting as the connecting element between architecture and painting. Furthermore, her works are reminiscent of Romanesque chapels, where the ceiling paintings have a special significance for the viewer's experience. Besides the ceiling, the floor of the gallery also becomes a work of art, as it is also painted by Büttner. In doing so the artist wants to entice a change of view from top to bottom since she is particularly interested in this kind of movement as a social and economic condition as well as one part of doing labor.
The exhibition Painted Ceiling and Floor by Andrea Büttner will be open to the public from September 8th to October 29th, 2022 at the gallery Jan Mot in Brussels. JW
ANDREA BÜTTNER
Painted Ceiling and Floor
Vue d’installation Jan Mot in Brussels (detail), 2022
Photo credit: Philippe De Gobert
Courtesy of the artist and Jan Mot, Brussels
www.janmot.com
Art
Brussels Gallery Weekend - Jean Katambayi Mukendi at Waldburger Wouters
Opening during Brussels Gallery Weekend, Waldburger Wouters is presenting the exhibition f’low by Congolese artist Jean Katambayi Mukendi.
Born in 1974 in the Democratic Republic of Congo and based in Lubumbashi, the capital of the Haut-Katanga region and second biggest city in Congo, his artworks often revolve around Congolese society. From an early age, Jean Katambayi Mukendi developed a passion for the fields of technology, mechanics, geometry, and electricity, which later led him to graduate as an electrician and study mathematics at university. The impressions he gathered from these experiences as well as aspects of his daily life now inspire and define his work as a visual artist. For this exhibition, opening on Brussels Gallery Weekend, Jean Katambayi Mukendi created art installations, fragile and complex at the same time, which are driven by sophisticated electrical mechanisms.
The exhibition f’low by Jean Katambayi Mukendi will be open to the public from September 8th to October 22nd, 2022 at the gallery Waldburger Wouters in Brussels. JW
JEAN KATAMBAYI MUKENDI
Concentrateur
Photo credit: Koen Vrancken
Courtesy of the artist and Waldburger Wouters, Brussels
www.waldburgerwouters.com
Art
Irina Ionesco passes away at 91
To our great dismay, on July 25, 2022, photographer Irina Ionesco passed away at the age of 91 in her hometown of Paris. Throughout her lifetime, Ionesco had made a name for herself with her images of seductive and sensual women, displayed in dark and theatrical settings. The artist was born the daughter of a violinist and a trapeze artist in Paris in 1930. Neglected by her parents, she moved to her grandparents in Romania when she was only four years old. It was not until 1951 that she returned to the French capital, where she first started working in the cabaret. She took up photography, when Guillaume Corneille, with whom she was in a relationship at the time, gave her a first camera. In 1974, her first exhibition was presented at the Nikon Gallery. The black-and-white photographs on display often showed single, half-naked women adorned with lace, fur, and flowers. Their faces were covered with striking makeup and their bodies were graced with jewelry and pearls. Their surroundings conveyed a surrealistic feeling, evoked by its gothic and fetishistic decor, in which the women appeared like a role in a film. Ionesco had been captured and enraptured by Orientalism from an early age. She spent her childhood with her grandmother who raised her in the Turkish quarter in Constantinople. From a young age, she experienced the city’s strong diversity in culture, counting the many mosques and Byzantine Churches, with their Saints dressed in gold and covered with gems nurtured by virgin Icons. The buildings oftentimes are not only decorated in splendor on the outside but have unique inside atmospheres, the air sated in the murmur of prayers and the scent of incense. All these experiences inspired and shaped her later body of work. Among the many subjects, she has captured you will find models such as Sylvia Kristel, but also nude Yakuza, the notorious Japanese gangsters, who bared their full-body tattoos to Ionesco, sitting stoically in public bathhouses. Through her imagery and her work, Ionesco left her mark on Western photographers working today in fashion, art and music. From the 2000s onwards, the artist devoted herself to fashion photography and created works for Givenchy and Vogue Japan, among others. In 2014, Reflex Amsterdam showed some of her photographs in an exclusive exhibition. Irina Ionesco has and will continue to be an inspiration, and through her work, she has left a mark and strong influence on many Western photographers in fashion, music, and art.
Art
Wir Überleben das Licht
Johan Tahon was captured by sculpture at the early age of 15 and this fascination has not stopped since. Since his beginnings and most importantly independently from all various trends and streams which at one point dominated the art world, Johan Tahon has continued to uphold craftsmanship, personal expression and spirituality as guiding principles in his works. In 1996, Jan Hoet discovered the Belgian artist and started to promote Tahon’s monumental sculptures. Under his sponsorship, Johan Tahon developed into an artist of international stature, heralded as a part of a group of artists who heralded the comeback of figuration and craft in the arts. Tahon’s deeply rooted topics of human psychology and spirituality also caught the attention of writers, most notably Till Lindemann, frontman of the German band Rammstein, who collaborated, under the initiative of ZOO Magazine, with the Belgian artist by writing a number of poems inspired by his sculptures. The resulting exhibition, Wir Überleben das Licht, conceived in collaboration with ZOO Magazine is now on display at the Cultuurcentrum de Steiger in Menen, Tahon’s hometown of which he is also an honorary citizen. The display encompasses the sculptures of Johan Tahon, the poetry of Till Lindemann and the photography of Sandor Lubbe. Aside from Wir Überleben das Licht, the Cultuurcentrum also opened up the DEPOT TAHON, a permanent display of countless sculptures by Johan Tahon, allowing visitors to dive deep into Tahon’s artistic world.
The exhibition Wir Überleben das Licht will be on display at the Cultuurcentrum de Steiger Menen until August 31st.
www.johantahon.com
www.ccdesteiger.be
Art
Divided Layers by Daniel Arsham and Kohler
Kohler, the global lifestyle brand and leader in kitchen and bath products, returned to Milan on the occasion of Design Week 2022. Held at Palazzo del Senato, the new installation is a large-scale immersive art experience realized in collaboration with artist-designer Daniel Arsham. Titled “Divided Layers,” the structure features a series of stacked, white panels that create a walkable tunnel. Reminiscent of the artist's previous work, Rock.01 - a 3D printed sink - and inspired by Kohler’s advanced technologies, the installation offers visitors the possibility to move through it as if they were immersed in the clay object. Then, to give even more volume to the construction, a pond acts as a mirrored surface to double and reflect the entrance. The result is a futuristic portal in contrast with the Baroque architecture of the venue that highlights Arsham’s study of space and volumes. In addition, in parallel to the design installation, Kohler has donated to Water Mission's WASH programs in Indonesia, helping to bring safe water and sanitation to the population. VB
www.kohler.com
Art
Armani Casa 2022 Collection
In the brutalist spaces of Armani Silos, Giorgio Armani has set up a unique installation to present the new Armani Casa 2022 Collection. The Italian brand has designed furniture and accessories that combine design research, material richness, subtle multiculturalism, and a distinct sense of rarefaction for the Salone del Mobile 2022. The exhibition is structured into eight themes that correspond to eight different environments. Each piece is set in context with the inspiration from which it originated in a way that visitors can feel and imagine the creative journey that leads from the starting point to the finished piece of furniture. Starting with the water: this section is characterized by a calm and peaceful ambiance, with natural references and 1930s and 1940s elegance that give life to the MORFEO bed and other unique objects. The space devoted to China presents a powerful contrast between red, the color of joy and good fortune, and non-color. Here, the JYLIA chairs in lacquered wood create a symbolic four-lobed figure within an environment entirely clad in black. Then, a third room dedicated to nature, travel, and discovery, exhibits the painting of a tiger, the feline that dominates the current year in the Chinese zodiac. In this space, the RENOIR sofa covered in the SAO PAULO fabric is the main protagonist. In the end, there is the sailing ship ensemble, which includes the PASCAL armchair and the SPACE table, both inspired by early twentieth-century ocean liners. In addition, accessories such as a wool blanket with matching cushion, thermos flask, and croquet mallets, among many others, complete the proposal. VB
www.armani.com
Art
Stella McCartney Launches The Second Installation of “Future of Fashion” at Salone del Mobile
Stella McCartney has announced the second edition of the “Future of Fashion: An innovation conversation with Stella McCartney” exhibition launching during the 60th annual Salone del Mobile. The installation will display from 7 to 12 June at the historic Porta Nuova in Milan. Future of Fashion aims to invite the world to discover the limitless possibilities of material innovation for creating a more nature-positive market. This year, to keep inspiring people to undertake future actions, Stella McCartney has presented an exhibition that combines cutting-edge fashion and design in partnership with Bank of America, as well as first-ever interiors collaborations with B&B Italia and heritage British wallpaper house Cole & Son. With the Italian furniture maker, the British luxury fashion house reimagined the iconic Le Bambole armchair, an iconic piece originally designed by Mario Bellini in 1972 and now produced by B&B Italia using sustainable techniques and circular composition. Instead, Stella McCartney x Cole & Son Wallpaper presents a revival of the Summer 2022 hand-drawn Fungi Forest toile de Jouy print. The graphic has been reworked as burgundy and navy wallpapers by Cole & Son with renewable fibers and introducing a manufacturing process that uses 30% fewer greenhouse gases. All display materials will be recycled for future events to limit environmental effects. In addition, Future of Fashion will offer its guests the possibility to explore curated items by Stella McCartney as the Frayme Mylo bag, the first-ever luxury bag crafted from mycelium created in partnership with Bolt Threads. VB
www.stellamccartney.com
Art
Gerhard Hofland Presents New Work by Johan Tahon, Michael Kirkham and Ralf Kokke
On the occasion of Art Rotterdam 2022, Galerie Gerhard Hofland presents new works by Johan Tahon as well as those of Michael Kirkham and Ralf Kokke. The Belgian artist studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent and went undiscovered for several years until 1995, when Jan Hoet, the then-director of the SMAK, invited him to participate in the museum's new building's opening exhibition. Johan Tahon's works are a tangible and visual representation of his youth; his difficult situation at home forced him to reflect on the fundamental questions of life, bringing him to create masterpieces that border craft and invocation, hunger, and higher-calling. His sculptures combine different materials such as plaster, ceramics, and bronze. Their surface is turbulent, drenched in hand-mixed glazes of celestial blues, ancient whites, and more recently, silvers rendering the work both ethereal and aglow. In addition, fundamental parts of Johan Tahon’s art are collaborations, such as those with Lee Ronaldo of Sonic youth, Belgian Poet Peter Velhelst and Till Lindemann of Rammstein. The art fair will take place at Van Nelle Fabriek in Rotterdam from May 19 to 22. VB
www.artrotterdam.com
www.gerhardhofland.com
Art
OBJECT Rotterdam: Jubilee Edition From May 20 till May 22
OBJECT Rotterdam opens its doors to the public from May 20 till May 22, presenting the artworks of over 150 designers, of which more than 50 recently graduated. Held at the modernist HAKA building, this design fair is an incubator for creative talent: a place where to discover new trends and meet upcoming artists. Inspiration and innovation are the keywords of the event. This year’s edition will offer a mix of products, furniture, fashion, lighting, and graphic design, in addition to giving free access to all visitors to the Euromast, a pop-up platform where various designers from Rotterdam present their works. OBJECT Rotterdam is also famous for its well-balanced combination of commercial and conceptual designs that are not just on view but also sale, giving the possibility to the creators to connect with consumers, collectors, agents, gallery owners, and curators. Among the artworks and artists, people can discover the colorful textiles by Lola van Praag, new furniture by the Italian Lisa Brustolin, and poetic sculptures by German artist Cengiz Hartmann. Next to these names, also many young designers get a head start at OBJECT. These newcomers, selected by Anne van der Zwaag, owner and director of the design fair, represent the most interesting 2021 graduates from KABK, HKU, Rietveld Academie, ArtEZ, the Design Academy, MAFAD, and the Rotterdam based WDKA. VB
www.objectrotterdam.com
Art
düsseldorf photo+ Biennale for Visual and Sonic Media
Over 50 exhibitions and events, participating institutions, galleries, and satellite venues of the Düsseldorf art scene will partake in the second exhibition of düsseldorf photo+ Biennale for Visual and Sonic Media. Taking place on May 13th, the exhibitions will shed light on current themes and challenges in the field of photography and time-based media. Within the exhibitions, not only are there works and installations by numerous national and international artists, but düsseldorf photo+ also invigorates the city’s own established art and photography scene. The main exhibition titled “Think We Must”, curated by Pola Sieverding and Asya Yaghumurian, forms the thematic focal point of the Biennale and will open on May 12th at the Akademie-Galerie. This group exhibition explores how thinking with photographic images can constitute and alter reality, history, and social discourse. Also featured, in the K21 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, will be the exhibition titled “Shifting Dialogues. Photography from the Walther Collection” with images from Africa and the African diaspora. Angelo Novi will present the symbiotic relationship between film and photography, viewed alongside Astrid Busch at Rupert Pfab. An extensive supporting program consisting of panels, lectures, talks, and workshops and a twelve-part podcast series for its entire duration. The exhibitions will be available from May 13th-June 19th across selected Düsseldorf galleries, fringe spaces, museums, and foundations. GH
www.duesseldorfphotoplus.de
Art
TEFAF Maastricht 2022
After two years of absence due to Covid-19, TEFAF The European Fine Art Foundation will return to Maastricht in June 2022, hosting the next installation of TEFAF Maastricht. Established in 1988, TEFAF Maastricht is known worldwide as the world's premier fair for fine art, antiques, and design. It exhibits modern and contemporary art, photography, jewelry, 20th-century design, and works on paper, along with the traditional categories of Old Master paintings and classical antiquities, covering over 7,000 years of art history. TEFAF Maastricht brings together 275 art dealers from more than 20 countries, checking the quality, authenticity, and condition of the works of art and following rigorous vetting standards to create an atmosphere in which exhibitors can sell and buyers can buy art pieces with confidence. This year TEFAF Maastricht will take place from 24th to 30th of June. Tickets will be available on the TEFAF website. VB
www.tefaf.com
Art
ZONA MACO 18th Edition
To celebrate its 18th edition, ZONA MACO featured, in a singular event, international exhibitors from more than 25 countries bringing together its four fairs simultaneously. Held at Centro Citibanamex in Mexico City, ZONA MACO MÉXICO ARTE CONTEMPORÁNEO, which combines leading and emerging national and international art galleries in four specialized sections, presented the most representative contemporary artists in the global scene. ZONA MACO DISEÑO, curated by Cecilia León de la Barra, promoted furniture, jewelry, textiles, and decorative objects, as well as limited editions and historical pieces. ZONA MACO SALÓN showcases exclusive antiques welcomed for this special occasion, the new curator Alfonso Miranda. As well as Sara Hermann, who curated ZONA MACO FOTO: a fair focused on galleries and artists working in the photographic and video fields. ZONA MACO, as every year, also announced its Conversations Program, which featured national and international guests to discuss current issues affecting the art world, and the extensive Parallel Activities Program. In addition, ZONA MACO Libros presented publishing projects specialized in art and photography. The 2022 edition has been a unique event that marks the return of the art fair platform to its traditional format, adding to an already tested formula something new and revolutionary. VB
www.zsonamaco.com
Art
Prada Mode Moscow: Turning into a Pharmacy For The Sixth Iteration
This year’s destination of the Prada Mode event is the Levenson Mansion in Moscow, featuring a special metamorphosis of the location by Damien Hirst into an iconic pharmacy experience. Prada Mode is a traveling social club event, lasting several days and including art installations, musical acts, dinners, and providing a space for like-minded people to meet and connect. The inaugural iteration of the concept was initiated by the luxury fashion house Prada in 2018 as a part of the art fair Art Basel in Miami. The Prada Mode Moscow is set in the Levenson Mansion, the charming private residence designed for the official purveyor of his majesty Emperor Nicholas and which has been bestowed with the clinical atmosphere of a pharmacy by Damien Hirst. Among the series of memorable works of his, is the recreation of a pharmacy, shown for the first time in the 90s in a London restaurant. Longtime friend Miuccia Prada designed the original uniforms for the restaurant, resulting in an ideal match for joining forces on Prada Mode Moscow. The installation features typical pharmacy elements, such as floor-to-ceiling medicine cabinets, embedded pills into floors and banquettes as well as wallpaper, imprinted with a design that has been taken out of a catalog for prescription medicines. The interactive art installation at Prada Mode Moscow is a captivating experience without any side effects, summarized by Damien Hirst as “I’ve always thought great restaurants can be art, and Pharmacy is a living breathing artwork, best filled with people and art as one.’’
www.prada.com
Art
Louis Vuitton Exhibtion:200 Trunks, 200 Visionaires
Louis Vuitton unveils its 200 Trunks, 200 Visionaries exhibition at the Louis Vuitton family house in Asnieres. Louis Vuitton pioneered the “Art of Luggage’’ by introducing flat-topped trunks in 1854, transforming suitcases into a new, practical format with revoluzionizing features such as airtightness and minimum weight with maximum sturdiness. Ever since, the French Maison continues to be faithful to the principles it was founded on, with a strong commitment to high craftsmanship and fine-quality of materials. To celebrate Louis Vuitton’s bicentennial birthday, the luxury Maison asked 200 visionaries to interpret the iconic Trunk in their own terms and to reimagine it with a personal approach, infusing the iconic suitcases with the artists dreams and desires. The exhibition will be displayed in numerous cities around the globe, beginning its journey in the Vuitton House in Asnières-sur-Seine and having its finale in London, with an auction by Sotheby’s in December 2022. All proceeds will be directly invested in a scholarship program developed by Louis Vuitton. The Maison masterfully manages to counterbalance the intersection between physical and digital formats within the exhibition, presenting screen-paneled Magic Boxes alongside the original art pieces. 200 Trunks, 200 Visionaries celebrates the greatness and innovation of the original Louis Vuitton trunk, as well as Louis Vuitton himself while allowing the participating artists to be a part of the present Louis Vuitton legacy.
www.louisvuitton.com
Art
Fondazione Prada, Venice: “Aura I Sul Toccare Le Cose”
“Aura I Sul Toccare Le Cose” which translates into “Aura I On Touching Things” is the title of Virgilio Sieni‘s choreographic project, conceived for Fondazione Prada and realized with Fondazione Archivio Luigi. Located in a former gin distillery dating from 1910 on the southern edge of Milan, the Fondazione Prada was founded to teach and educate about culture through exhibitions, film initiatives, and contemporary philosophy conferences. The “Aura I Sul Toccare Le Cose” project consists of eight choreographic performances, filled with the repetition of gestures, inspired by objects or works of art and executed by professional as well as non-professional dancers. Sieni transformed 13 objects of affection into new and different ways of touching. The performances visually describe the encounter and development of the relationship between cities, places, or villages as well as body and art, all united by the idea of raising awareness on care, observation, and connection. The experience is intensified by the accompanying music composed by Luigi Nono and Claudio Monteverdi. Sieni‘s intention behind the project was to establish a visible dialogue about the manipulative power of sensual and seductive body expressions and gestures. Fondazione Prada acknowledges the undeniable importance of culture and successfully manages to expand knowledge and enrich the process of learning.
www.fondazioneprada.com
Art
Gallery Weekend *Discoveries: K60
In line with the Gallery Weekend *Discoveries purpose to represent a platform for upcoming artists, the event aims to foster connections between the participating galleries, curators and subsequently artists as well. This year, the second edition of the K60 exhibition brings together eight Berlin galleries – Alexander Ievy, ChertLüdde, HUA International Klemm’s, KOW, Kraua-Tuskany Zeidler, Plan B and PSM. The eight galleries present a plethora of artworks from various artists, including conventional mediums like sculptures and paintings, as well as more contemporary takes on art through videos, installations and photography. The exhibition stretches over two floors in the industrial setting of the Wilhelm Hallen, whose architectural characteristics make for an excellent exhibition space. The artworks are placed alongside the raw concrete walls, hung from the iron frameworks of the high ceilings and integrated into the pillars and braces of the former iron foundry. The vast space allows the individual art works to unfold on their own, honoring the research and creativity of each individual, while contributing to a unique undertaking that emphasizes the art scene as an entity and delivers a diverse and manifold art experience to the audience. The joined exhibition and the vast location invite to articulate a dialogue, not only between the artworks themselves but also between the visitors – highlighting the common threads that link the artworks and their audience together.
The K60 exhibition is open to public at Wilhelm Hallen, Berlin, until September 18th 2021.
www.gallery-weekend-berlin.de
Art
Gallery Weekend *Discoveries: Senorita Latifa Sharifah
Sculptural collages made from peculiar objects are the centerpieces of Jasmin Werner’s first solo exhibition at Guido W. Baudach Gallery. The exhibition consists of two of Jasmin Werner’s latest series, Wholly Family and Schloss der Republik Burj Khalifa OFW. The common ground of the two series that together make the exhibition Senorita Latifa Sharifah is the display of peculiar and arbitrary objects, puzzled together into assemblage-like sculptures which exude cryptical and allusive allegories. As such, the exhibition features sculptures in which combine construction mesh prints with light installations. Many of the assemblages feature quirky objects such as children toys like chopping cart that are turned into extension cords that power the light work or miniature ladders, inducing a change of perspective and size distortions. The Cologne-based German-Filipino artists used mostly recycled materials from former works at Städtische Galerie Bärenzwinger in Berlin. Through the new interpretation, in which she dissects the former scaffolding sculptures and images of buildings, she connects the locations of the Palast der Republik, the Berlin Stadtschloss and the skyscraper Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
Senorita Latifa Sharifah by Jasmin Werner is exhibited at Guido W. Baudach Gallery, Berlin, from September 11th to October 16th 2021.
www.guidowbaudach.com
www.jasmin-werner.de
www.gallery-weekend-berlin.de
Art
Gallery Weekend *Discoveries: Starter Kit
Cudelice Brazelton IV is a Frankfurt-based artist who channels subcultural happenings into hybrid art installations. Sculptures and paintings are his preferred vehicle of artistic expression. Through the combination of sculptures and paintings as well as sound accentuation, Brazelton creates unusual installations that induce the experience of tactile, auditory and visual stimuli. By engaging multiple senses, Brazelton creates a performative context that points towards a specific source of inspiration. Through his installations, Brazelton refers to black, punk and queer culture. For the artist, these cultures represent the driving force behind his profession, which is why he ensures to represent current events, controversies and critical discourse through his artistic outputs. DIY elements and the idea of clubs as a meeting point play a significant role in the actualization of the sculptures. Brazelton’s installations showcase a spectrum of industrial, abstract, delicate and crafty elements. Canvas, electronic supplies, chains, pipework – the materials used are diverse, yet Brazelton’s installations feature distinctive handwriting. Alongside more rustic materials, Brazelton incorporates photographs and paintings into his sculptures, often featuring a human face or body part. The hybrid nature of humanity, technology and objects that is reflected in his sculptures evokes an absurd aftertaste that poses questions of identity and belonging, which directs back to the inspirational essence from which subculture emerges.
Starter Kit by Cudelice Brazelton IV is exhibited at Barbara Weiss, Berlin, from September 4th - October 7th 2021.
www.galeriebarbaraweiss.de
www.cudelicebrazelton.com
www.gallery-weekend-berlin.de
Art
Brussels Gallery Weekend: You Left Me My Lips, and They Shape Words, Even in Silence
How can one make visible what lies in the interstices of the dominant language? Brussel-based artist Hamza Halloubi cherishes the concept of silent discourse in his exhibition You left me my lips and they shape words, even in silence. This body of work showcases a trio of videos touching upon identities and stories of the Maghreb region. Halloubi, who himself was born in Morocco, hereby utilizes the Western gaze, portraying the protagonists and sceneries in a raw and authentic manner. The vivid camera work is a reference to the phenomenon of looking and being looked at in public spaces, whereas the absence of sound and dialogue amplifies the discourse that silence may create. The three videos adopt different interpretations of the power dynamics between the West and the Middle East. Writing Back, one of the videos on show introduces a Moroccan woman through the distorted, exotified lens that the Western world postmarks upon her. The video addresses shadow and silence as a deflection mechanism of the Orientalist gaze. Halloubi incorporates the element of cultural loss and the relation between meaning and origin in Messing Encounters, in which he establishes a wordless dialogue between an African immigrant and a Congolese statue expatriated to a Western museum. Lastly, Begaiements toys with the parallels of creative investment and revolt against oppression by intercutting images of Jason Pollock's paintings and the Arab spring. The videography is presented alongside abstract paintings that feature writings and video stills.
You left me my lips, and they shape words, even in silence is exhibited at Argos, Brussels, from October 9th - December 12th 2021.
www.argosarts.org
www.hamzahalloubi.com
Art
Brussels Gallery Weekend: Rosa Rosa Rosae Rosae
The exhibition rosa rosa rosae rosae features the knowledge, transmission and history of language as a subject of discussion. With twenty contributing artists of multiple origins the exhibition achieves a diverse representation of how language shapes world views and creates barriers and clarification at the same time. The exhibition has taken inspiration from Jan Vercruysse’s photograph Rosa/Rota ll, in which the Belgian poet plays with the modification and purposeful interpretation of the Latin language. The photograph depicts two panels, one with the declension of the Latin word rosa (rose) and one with the Latin word rota (destiny). Getrude Stein’s infamous poetry verse “rose is a rose is a rose is a rose” reinforces contemplations around the literal meaning of words by emphasizing rhyme, rhythm and the fluidity of poetry. Derived from these references, rosa rosa rosae rosae revolves around the deceptive power of language. Since language is immanent to passing on knowledge, words inherit the ability to influence depending on personal language bias. The exhibition visualizes the reflection of a world with permeable borders where language unconsciously intermingles with discussion values, individual viewpoints and expression habits. This language bias is summarized in rosa rosa rosae rosae as a matrix that clarifies and confuses as it surrenders to interpretation.
Rosa rosa rosae rosae is exhibited at La Maison Pelgrims, Brussels, from October 10th - October 23rd 2021.
www.brusselsgalleryweekend.com
Art
Louis Vuitton Travel Book Series: An Extraterrestrial Journey to Mars
Illustrated by François Schuiten and written by Sylvain Tesson, the latest volume of Louis Vuitton’s travel book series presents itself in a true Sci-Fi manner. Two protagonists, referred to as contemporary versions of Adam and Eve, embark on a journey to Mars to fathom the red planet’s suitability for the preservation of the human species. The panoramic format of the book enables the observer to experience a 180°-imagination of what life on Mars looks like. To grasp an accurate idea of the landscapes, Schuiten meticulously studied satellite imagery and photos taken by spaces probes. In his endeavor to accurately bring the structures and surfaces onto paper, he focused on geographical and geological nuances of canyons, mineral spikes, ice clouds and eddies of dust. To emphasize how settling on other planets lies in a not so distant future, Schuiten focused on making the illustrations as real as possible. Sfumato, a way of layering oil paint that creates blurry, soft lines is one of the techniques he relied on to create a serene yet eerie feel. During the process, Schuiten kept asking himself how the pristineness of Mars could be preserved “when the colonization of Mars had become the challenge of the century for space explorers”. Tesson, who transformed the illustrations into a readable story, captured this balancing act between utopia and dystopia that Schuiten had visualized in his drawings.
www.louisvuitton.com
Art
Gallery Weekend Berlin: Rebecca Horn at Thomas Schulte Galerie
Rebecca Horn presents the first solo exhibition at the Thomas Schulte Galerie since its inauguration in 1991. Horn and the gallery have collaborated many times during the past 30 years. Thomas Schulte Galerie featured the artist in the opening exhibition. On the 30th anniversary, Thomas Schulte Galerie is celebrating with a collection of one of Germany’s most important living female artists. Alongside Horn’s recent works, the gallery will be showing two of the artist’s seminal kinetic installations from the 1990s: Bee’s Planetary Map (1998) and Der Turm der Namenlosen (1994). The piece Bee’s Planetary Map (1998) captures the transformative power of bees: converting and repurposing natural materials to construct their habitats. Conceived in 1997, even before the flows of forcibly displaced millions from the Balkans, Bee’s Planetary Map captures themes of dislocation, uprootedness, and fractured movement. Empty beehives fill the space with the haunting buzz of a wandering swarm of bees. Honey-yellow light streams from the suspended baskets, reflecting circular rotating mirrors and projected across walls and ceilings. At regular intervals of two and a half minutes, a stone attached to a mechanical hoist falls from the ceiling and shatters one of the mirrors. Spinning splinters of mirror chase panicked scraps of light across the room. Struggling towards the center, searching for protection and security, fearing for freedom and belonging – these are the central human themes in Rebecca Horn’s work. Themes of flight and (up)rootedness are further visible in Der Turm der Namenlosen (1994). Rebecca Horn dedicated this piece to the thousands of Bosnian refugees who arrived in Vienna in the early-to-mid 1990s. Most arrived without passports and knowledge of the dominant language. Many would use the musical instruments they brought with them to express and perform their trauma.
Rebecca Horn’s work is exhibited at Thomas Schulte Galerie, Berlin, from 28 April - 26 June 2021.
www.gallery-weekend-berlin.de
Rebecca Horn, Bees Planetary Map, 1998. Installation view, Centre Pompidou-Metz, 2019, Photo: Jacqueline Trichard. © Rebecca Horn, VG Bildkunst, Bonn, 2021 Courtesy die Künstlerin und Galerie Thomas Schulte
Rebecca Horn, Die Neuerscheinung, 2019. Courtesy the artist and the gallery.
Art
Luisa Catucci : TRA COLOR CHE SONO SOSPESI
Aqua Aura and Lidó Rico present their work at the TRA COLOR CHE SONO SOSPESI (Engl. : Among those who are in suspense) exhibition at Luisa Catucci Gallery in Berlin. The exhibition's title is an homage to the unusual situation the whole world faced over the past year, which left most people to experience an unsettling feeling of suspense. The sequence of Lockdowns and isolation left us feeling fragile. For many, the difficulties or even impossibilities to work properly made us feel closer to Virgil and the other souls Dante Alighieri suspended in Limbo. In this after-death place, he left the great but not catholic minds hanging to an eternal wait. Simultaneously the suspension reawakened the attention on existential issues and pushed humanity to reargue the "Übermensch" attitude we developed as a society.
This is a theme both the Spanish artist Lidó Rico and the Italian artist Aqua Aura have investigated through different media. Additionally, 2021 is the 700th anniversary of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri's death, whose description of Limbo fits the feelings induced by the repetition of Lockdowns, so dedicating this exhibition to him seems fitting. In TRA COLOR CHE SONO SOSPESI presents a dialog between the works of the meta-photographer Aqua Aura and his dystopic views of a post-nature post-humanity future. Together with Lidó Rico's work referring to the fear of the void created by the lack of survival of the knowledge acquired in life, the exhibition fits the world's current state. TRA COLOR CHE SONO SOSPESI will be exhibited at Luisa Catucci Gallery, Berlin from the 3rd of April until the 28th of May 2021.
www.luisacatucci.com
Art
Foscarini: 'Bump'
Exploring the relationship between light and its interaction with various surfaces, Italian lighting design company, previewed its new suspension lamp during Milano Design Week last September. Designed by Ludovica and Roberto Palomba, who have been longtime collaborators with Foscarini, the suspension lamp began with blown glass before expanding into other materials, surfaces and finishes during the research stage and eventually became the irregular and captivating visual presence of the suspension lamp known simply as ‘Bump’.
The informal personality of ‘Bump’ plays with light, its character changing in relation to the chosen color. The range of colors include gold and petroleum hues as well as a ‘frost’ model with a transparent dome and a satin finish, each with the distinctive shape which resembles a dented surface.
An atmospheric effect is created by the ‘frost’ version of ‘Bump’ due to the translucent dome, whereas the gold and petroleum iterations feature a white interior color to focus light primarily downwards for use in settings such as a study, parlour or bar.
LEICHT: Light-Bathed Living
A three-storey house with floor to ceiling windows, rooms bathed with natural light and an awe-inspiring view of the Austrian countryside from almost anywhere in the house. These impressive architectural results from Austrian design firm, LEICHT, speak to the company’s dedication to clear lines, shapes and of course light as fundamentals in an exceptionally livable space by LEICHT and architect Zoran Bodrožic.
‘Architecture + Kitchen IV’, the fourth edition of kitchen and living settings. The house boasts a distinguished ensemble of individualism, comfort and opulence. The presence of light in the home and as an essential part of life takes precedence in the home’s design. The transparent home in Klosterneuburg features a completely handleless kitchen in a rectilinear design connecting the kitchen to the living room, making the flow of the house accommodating and incredibly scenic. Founded in 1928 as a carpenter‘s workshop by brothers Alois and Josef Leicht, the company has evolved into a globally recognized brand that excels in kitchen and living settings.
A trifecta of concrete, wood and stone make up the ceiling, floor and walls of the lounge room; a visual feast of elements both natural and refined. In this rejoicement of light bathed living an artistically detailed room divider creates an interplay between the kitchen and the living room so that one can feel they are not sacrificing the joys of one room in favor of another. Two preparation and cooking areas sit parallel to one another, the kitchen layout is an amiable setting for entertaining, relaxing or making a delicious meal in a gorgeous panoramic country setting.
Synonymous with prestigious, open kitchens with a homely aesthetic, LEICHT offers kitchens in all price ranges offering outstanding value for money. In recent years they have turned their attention to designing the dining and living rooms with dividers to improve the relationship between both rooms within the 21st century idea of a home.
Art
Thonet Barstool Collection
Thonet has built its name to be synonymous with a longstanding history of designing furniture that displays one foot in tradition and another striding boldly into the future; a design journey that was conceived at the hands of master carpenter, Michael Thonet, out of a small workshop in Boppard on the River Rhine in 1819; with Chair No. 14 or, as we know it today, the Vienna coffee house chair. The furniture maker continues its legacy with two new iterations of the barstool; the S 32 VH Barstool and the S 32 VHT low barstool. The S 32 tubular-steel cantilever chair made by Marcel Breuer in the ‘20s during the Bauhaus era offers an insight into the design cues for these comfortable and new barstools. The distinctive Viennese canework and Thonet bentwood elements exist in stylistic contrast to the sleek tubular steel lines and lightweight nature of the furniture. The furnishings are visually very reduced and made to be subtle so as to suit a broader range of environments from reception areas to kitchen breakfast bars in the home or trendy metropolitain bars and restaurants. Easily adjustable and transported, the S 32 VH Barstool is designed in response to the growing trend of standing tables and counters both in workplaces and the home. The new barstools versatility and timeless style follows on from Thonet’s earlier adaptation of Marcel Breuer’s S 64 tubular steel cantilever chair, in which Thonet designed a height-adjustable swivel chair set on a pedestal base and castors that they dubbed the S 64 VDR swivel chair.
www.thonet.com
Art
Sensitive Euro Man, Friedrich Kunath
Returning to Germany after eight years, Friedrich Kunath’s solo show, ‘Sensitive Euro Man’ will be featured at KÖNIG GALERIE in the NAVE of St. Agnes. Opening on 15 August 2020, Kunath will be showing a collection of previously unseen works; spanning painting and sculpture with a notably large sculptural work to centre the exhibition.
Kunath aptly references German romanticism in this collection, in an abstracted ode to his homeland, but not as one might expect. A sense of the sublime and the awe-inspiring presence of nature, though tangible is undone by Kunath, reimagined through a Californian rear-view mirror. Interweaving his life in LA with this prolific genre, sarcasm, bar humour and beloved lyrics intersperse his works, subverting a genre well known for its earnest sincerity. This exhibition showcases Kunath’s unmatched sensitivity as an artist, where balance and timing come together perfectly to produce works that feel organic, if not refreshing in their charismatic lightness. Kunath teases the viewer in this set of works enticing them in with colour to be met with a sharp tongue. This is Kunath at his best.
www.koeniggalerie.com
Art
Montblanc de la Culture Patronage Award 2019
The Montblanc Cultural Foundation has been honoring patrons of art around the world since 1992. The Montblanc de la Culture Patronage Award is given to patrons of the art world that contribute greatly to an enlightened public. This year in Germany the award was bestowed to Dr. Michael Haerdter, founder of Künstlerhaus Bethanien and director until the turn of the century. His award was graciously accepted on his behalf by Christoph Tannert, one half of the Künstlerhaus Bethanien’s managing directors. Tannert cheerfully remarked “the fact that we have won the Montblanc de la Culture Patronage Award 2019 is a great honor for us and a very special tribute to our work.”
Dr. Haerdter has underlined the importance of artists communicating through a higher medium than just verbal discussion, he has forged a generous amount of space in which rising artists can express their unique world view.“We are really delighted to celebrate this year’s Montblanc de la Culture Patronage Awards at Ku?nstlerhaus Bethanien, such as extraordinary and international center of art,” says Elvir Johic, managing director of Montblanc Germany and Northern Europe.
After introductions and speeches from Elvir Johic, Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath the win was celebrated greatly in Berlin where Montblanc hosted a party for people to celebrate and dance long into the night in recognition of Dr. Haerdter’s pivotal cultural contribution. Montblanc’s theme for the party echoed the Bethanien’s current exhibition, "Milchstraßenverkehrsordnung", “Space is the Place”. More than 150 members of the German arts and culture scene were in attendance for the ceremony and festivities. Thanks to the Montblanc Cultural Foundation this particular exhibition was supported with accompanying prize money of €15,000.
Kreuzberg’s Künstlerhaus Bethanien hosts a diverse group of artists through its ‘Artist-in-Residence’ program with 25 studios in which artists can refine their craft and truly flourish. The facilities also include an enormous basement for exhibition facilities. The contemporary visual arts venue and workspaces pioneered by Dr. Haerdter are an exceptional home for art.
www.montblanc.com
www.bethanien.de
Art
Lovingly Renovated: The Cranford Collection
The Cranford Collection is the most prized collection of art in Europe; nearly 700 works of fine art live in a residential building in Regent’s Park, London. The collection rotates every 18 months under the expert curatorship of Anne Pontégnie, who has been the guiding force behind the collection since 2011. The Cranford Collection exemplifies how art might be seen with fresh eyes in an intimate setting undistracted by any impinging tones set by the impossibly high glass ceilings and large slabs of bedrock found in most other museums. Architecture has a profound effect on the way art is viewed; The Cranford Collection explores the notion that all artworks are at the mercy of the placid walls they adorn.
The Cranford Collection is home to masterpieces by Bruce Nauman, Louis Bourgeois, Alice Neel and many others. The residential location at Gloucester Gate is fresh off the heels of its recent renovation by London based architect, David Chipperfield. The original building was designed by John Nash, one of Great Britain’s foremost architects responsible for the lasting neo-classical elements of England’s Regency and Georgian eras. The essential style of the building has been retained while the space itself has expanded to suit the needs of artists in pursuit of bettering their work. MFA students can now attend talks and discussions, school groups can tour by appointment and the esteemed residential gallery will host film screenings. The Cranford Collection’s collaboration with the Camden Arts Centre ensures artists can apply for residency or publishing of art books. The private gallery has been lovingly expanded to make up and coming artists feel right at home.
The museum will reopen its doors November 2019.
www.cranfordarts.org
Art
The World's True Protagonist
Cartier, world-renowned jeweler, is starting a dialogue with environmentally conscious speakers, artists, philosophers and academics in an exhibition dubbed "TREES". This exhibition offers a long awaited chance for the humanity of such an issue to be unfettered by political inaction. Artistic contributions from Latin America, Iran, the United States and European nations reinforce a shared goal and the global unity necessary to progress. Vital and intimately connected to the issue, "TREES" provides a platform for Indigenous representatives like the Nivaclé and Guarani of Gran Chaco (Paraguay) as well as the Yanomami Indians who live in the heart of the Amazonian forest. It is through Foundation Cartier's platform these voices can urge and advocate for the conservation and protection of the Amazon rainforest. Trees, the gentle giants so unassuming yet crucial to life on Earth, provide sanctity to humans and deserve sanctity from industrialism. The relationship between humans and trees will be thoroughly explored in a film by Raymond Depardon.
"TREES" will be curated by Hervé Chandès, Isabelle Gaudefroy and anthropologist, Bruce Albert, a long time companion of the foundation since Cartier's exhibition "Yanomami, Spirit of the Forest" (2003). Three narrative threads tie this exhibition together. Firstly, trees as we know them, then the aesthetic observation of trees and lastly, the devastation of trees as visualized through documentary film and pictorial testimony. The Brazilian artist, Luiz Zerbini, explores the blunt force with which urbanism defiles the world's natural environment. Stefano Mancuso will speak on the intelligence and awareness of plant life as it communicates and interacts with its surroundings. This exhibition of purposeful unity will remind change makers that trees are they are the lungs of our suffocating world and they are at risk of never breathing at full capacity again.
The event will run from July 12th to November 10th at 261, Boulevard Raspail, Paris, The Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art.
www.foundationcartier.com
Art
Il Sarcofago di Spitzmaus e altri Tesori
Museums are places of knowledge. Each piece on display has been meticulously studied and analyzed before experts categorized it according to the right origins and time period. Just as the academic research on different civilizations is largely separated, each time period belongs to a separate collection within a museum.
With ‘Il Sarcofago di Spitzmaus e altri Tesori’, translating into ‘Spitzmaus Mummy in a Coffin and Other Treasures’, the Fondazione Prada, in collaboration with the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, takes a less academic approach to the museum and its traditional methods of display. The task of curation is realized by film director Wes Anderson and illustrator, designer and writer Juman Malouf. Unconcerned with time periods and chronological accuracy, the two artists have access to 23 different collections belonging to two different museums, the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna. Together, both artists selected 537 artworks and artefacts from over 5000 years of human history and showcase them alongside one another. Their interdisciplinary approach at times reveals unexpected parallels and resonances between the works and directly challenges traditional museum canons. The exhibition is titled after Coffin of a Spitzmaus, an Egyptian wooden box containing a mummified shrew from the 4th century BC.
After the display in Vienna, the exhibition moves to exhibition space of the Fondazione Prada in Milan. The Milan display is a second version with a larger display area and a greater number of exhibits. Alongside the exhibition, the Fondazione Prada publishes an artist’s book, which inspired by Duchamp’s Boîte-en-valise, elaborates the idea of the portable museum.
The exhibition ‘Il Sarcofago di Spitzmaus e altri Tesori’ is open to the public from the 20th of September 2019 until the 13th of January 2020 at the Fondazione Prada in Milan.
www.fondazioneprada.org
Art
David Zwirner at Art Basel
It is hard to imagine that any of the founding members knew what Art Basel would evolve into. Art Basel kept growing year-by-year, adding the new locations of Miami and Hong Kong, to eventually become the world-leading art fair. Their shows do not only connect collectors and galleries with established and emerging artists alike, but also offer the broad masses a glimpse into an otherwise opaque art world.
David Zwirner has witnessed Art Basel’s development as the gallery returns to Basel for the twenty-first consecutive year. For this year’s edition of Unlimited, the spotlight falls on Felix Gonzalez-Torres’ complete set of puzzles created between 1987 and 1992, Kerry James Marshall’s RYTHM MASTR Daily Strip (Runners), previously featured at the 2018 Carnegie International and Franz West’s interactive installation of sofas clad in colorful fabrics, on show for the first time since debuting in 1994.
Besides showcasing new works of a variety of artists, other highlights presented at the booth include new paintings by Njideka Akunyili Crosby, featured at Venice Biennale and Oscar Murillo, who was just nominated for the Turner Prize 2019.
In addition to this, David Zwirner announced the launch of Basel Online. Available from June 10th, this Online Viewing Room is David Zwirner’s digital exhibition space, offering visitors the possibility to explore new works by gallery artists as well as curated online-only exhibitions and special collaborations.
Art Basel will be open to the public from 13th to 16th of June at Messe Basel.
www.artbasel.com
www.davidzwirner.com
Art
Sumo and the three boys from Pasadena
The Helmut Newton Foundation unveils its new exhibition, combining the photographic work ''SUMO'' of Helmut Newton, his private collection, developed with his wife June Newtown and Three Boys From Pasadena by his three apprentices Mark Arbeit, George Holz and Just Loomis.
Newton’s masterpiece SUMO was created 20 years ago and first exhibited a decade later. Consisting of 400 iconic images, from the genres fashion, portraiture and nudes in black and white and colour, they include, to only mention a few, his famous portraits of artists like Salvadór Dalí and Andy Warhol as well as his work for various magazines, like Vogue or Vanity Fair.
His three apprentices augment their Three Boys From Pasadena, created ten years ago, with new works. The additions are a combination of life-sized photograms of models by Mark Areit, Hollywood portraits of legends by George Holz and intimate ‘Backstage’ works, showcasing the hidden, less glamorous facets of fashion, by Just Loomis.
Furthermore, we are offered an insight into the couple’s exquisite photo collection, featuring 50 valuable vintage prints in original frame of the 20th century’s most influential and important photographers.
The exhibition opens on the 6th of June at the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin.
Art
Aneta Bartos: Family Portrait 2014-2018
With her first solo exhibition Family Portrait 2014-2018 at Tommy Simoens Gallery in Antwerpen, Polish-born photographer Aneta Bartos offered a first cohesive overview of her ongoing project, which has been four years in the making.
Daughter of a lifelong bodybuilder, the photographer offers an insight into her psyche formed by an unusually liberal upbringing, surrounded by nudeness in an otherwise stern Catholic environment. Each photograph features her own ageing father, caught in his obsession with the perfect physique, as well as herself, the daughter, now as a grown woman intensely aware of her own sexuality.
The exhibition highlights the complex dynamics of this very personal relationship, displaying a fa-ther and a daughter sometimes close, but also so far apart that they are seemingly invisible to each other.
The personal feel is not limited to the photographic work but is supported by the installation itself, which features bodybuilding equipment transported from the father’s gym in Poland.
The exhibition is extended until 18th of May at Tommy Simoens Gallery in Antwerpen.
www.tommysimoens.com
Art
Spotlight
Sawaru is the new project from Flos that does away with excess and focusses on simple, compact devices that provide a clean aesthetic and simple functionality. A LED light source cylinder 43cm in length and 13 cm in diameter, Sawaru is constructed from aluminum and is available in finishes from black and white to bright gold and blue gray.
Two independent cylinders restfully lean up against one another for support, intercepting at a perpendicular angle; one acting as the supportive base and the other as a light source shooting out a beaming spotlight. The angle can be modified to the individual’s taste in three different stages – 25, 40 and 60, simply by inserting a pin attached to the base. Once again, Flos proves its commitment to designs that are user intuitive and simple; minimal in appearance and minimal in hassle.
The dimmer pedal regulates the intensity of the light and the color temperature, warm and cold, and one’s ideal combinations can be set by keeping the pedal pressed down. The LED indicators on the pedal supply information about the status of the light source.
flos.com
Art
ELECTRIC CO - RE-Couture
Enchanted by clear pencil lines that tell more… Designer Conny Groenewegen captures her imagination into spatial drawings that make you almost part of it. The boundaries between 2D and 3D are a continuing signature in her art.
With a background in Art and Fashion, specifically knitting, she created a special relationship with interlocking loops coming from one continuous thread. When you make another manoeuvre, the pattern breaks. In conclusion: “you cannot impose or force anything without causing damage.” This theory turned into a philosophical approach for Groenewegen that resulted into the Fashion Machine-project; a suggestion to reconsider fixed archetypal forms. By changing forms, textures, materials and settings, new interesting insights appear and create another perspective to redefine the type.
The ELECTRIC CO artwork is a creation of a plastic monofilament that carries a rigid knitted structure in combination with softer, woollen yarns. The constructed 3D element emphasizes the upper body’s muscle contours and re-codes. At the same time the archetypal shapes of classical sweaters and bomber jackets accommodate ELECTRIC CO’s vibrant dynamics > electricco.co.
Photographer Anouk van Kalmthout photographed the artwork and created a mystifying universe. The picturesque, colorful and especially abstract landscapes give a dreamy feeling which impersonates this association of free interpretation. The lively use of light and shadow in fusion with the disorienting perspective gives this artwork a free sense to express. These photographs are an infinite vision full of the world’s fortuitous.
Credits:
Photography: Anouk van Kalmthout; model: Iheomy Nahr; make-up & hair: Yokaw; set assistant: Juliette Lizotte; production: Charlotte Corstanje; creative direction: Conny Groenewegen
www.connygroenewegen.nl
Art
Posthumous Exhibition in London and Paris Celebrating the Life and Work of Franz West
Franz West is widely known and revered for his 40-year career that features notable highlights such as his series of Adaptives in the 1970s, his Lemur-Heads scattered around Vienna as well as his use of unconventional materials in building furniture and his famously colourful work with paper mache.
Franz’s work requires us to take his hand and accept his invitation to actively engage with the art. For Franz, the meaning is not some ungraspable, floating figment in the ether. Rather the meaning is what we decide to grant to it and is the various experiences that are evoked upon our direct, personal interaction with the given piece. It is precisely this mirroring of the external that makes Franz’s work so inclusionary and what absolves him from any dangerous accusations of elitism or pretention. We are the essential, necessary final piece of the puzzle. Our realisations, our relationship and our connection with the pieces are paramount and take priority focus – how we respond, what we evoke, what we discover.
Franz is renowned for his light-hearted, open, playful and at times humorous quality paired with an underlying deeply introspective and subtly philosophical approach, driven largely by an understanding and respect of the free man to enjoy leisure and not always be so as Franz himself put it ‘deadly earnest.’
Vivacious, vibrant and interactive, this exhibition invites us to celebrate the extraordinary life and lively work of Franz West – to touch, to wear, to handle and to open yourself up to a rare and inclusionary experience of art as you have never had before.
The multi-faceted Austrian artist Franz West’s life and work (1947-2012) is posthumously celebrated as part of a major exhibition taking place at The Tate Modern, London and the Centre Pompidou, Paris from the 20th February to the 2nd June 2019.
www.tate.org.uk
Art
Fondazione Prada Presents “Slight Agitation 3/4: Gelitin”
“Slight Agitation” is a four part-project of newly commisioned, site-specific works hosted within the Cisterna of the Milan venue of Fondazione Prada. The third chapter of this exhibition project is an instalment by the Austrian collective Gelitin and called “Slight Agitation 3/4: Gelitin”. The project, titled POKALYPSEA-APOKALYPSE-OKALYPSEAP, features three large sculptures, which explicitly address classical architectural archetypes: the triumphal arch, the obelisk and the amphitheater. These rhetoric and monumental components are symbols as much as structures conceived for everyday inhabitation. The sculptures draw an arc from the insular and individual to the open-ended and collective, from the overtly erotic to the sublimated joy of togetherness. The central space of the Cisterna is occupied by Arc de Triomphe (2003/2017), which is a reproduction of an elephant-high male figure, bending over backwards, made of plasticine.
The presence of a fully functioning water fountain transforms the exhibition space into a collective one, manifesting Gelitin’s liberating artistic approach. In the left side of the space, another gigantic sculpture, made up of polystyrene blocks, resembles a typical Inuit construction or a cigarette on top of a big table. The third sculpture, a wooden upward spiral, is reminiscent of an antique amphitheater. Visitors can enter the sculpture and are even invited to smoke a cigarette in the center of the installation. This banal act makes them instant protagonists of a short, ephemeral act that positions itself, according to Gelitin, somewhere between Samuel Beckett’s Theater of the Absurd and a karaoke performance. The exhibition will be open until the 26th of February 2018.
www.fondazioneprada.org
Art
Museo del Novecento and Fondazione Furla present Simone Forti: To Play the Flute
Museo del Novecento and Fondazione Furla present Simone Forti: To Play the Flute – a selection of performances by this Italian-born American artist, choreographer and dancer that will fill the Museo del Novecento’s Sala Fontana with sound and movement for three days.
This marks the first event of the Furla Series #01 – Time after Time, Space after Space, a performance- centred program that will feature five events from five different artists with varying backgrounds, influences and approaches to this form of expression.
Simone Forti, has been a leading figure in postmodern dance for over fifty years and has helped shaped the landscape of contemporary dance with performances that range from minimalist movement to improvisations that also featured spoken word. To Play the Flute is a reenactment of four seminal performance moments in Forti’s career that highlights her approach to the interplay of actions and objects, and they key role assigned to sound.
Forti’s famous Dance Constructions – now part of New York’s MoMa permanent collection – served as the foundation of her solid reputation in the 60’s art world thanks to her innovative ways of experimenting with the language of movement. The performances rethink the relationship between body and object, movement and sculpture, rules and improvisation and are based on everyday movements or interactions with objects. Personal expression and improvisation always appear to be hampered by the effort required to carry out a given physical task or follow certain rules.
The first Time after Time, Space after Space event will take place on the 21st to the 23rd of September in the Sala Fontana of Milan’s Novecento Museum. The program for Time after Time, Space after Space will include four more events featuring artists from around the world, at bimonthly intervals: Alexandra Bachzetsis (November 2017), Adelita Husni-Bey (January 2018), Paulina Olowska (March 2018) and Christian Marclay (April 2018)
www.museodelnovecento.org
www.fondazionefurla.org
Art
Fendi pays homage to Rome with Giuseppe Penone's Foglie di Pietra
Following Giuseppe Penone’s Matrice exhibition hosted at Fendi’s headquarters in Rome’s Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, Fendi installs a new site specific artwork by the artist entitled Foglie di Pietra in Largo Goldoni. Thus, FENDI renews and highlights its undying bond with Rome by gifting the city and its people important artwork from one of the most celebrated contemporary sculptors.
Foglie di Petra (Leaves of Stone, 2016) is one of Penone’s most complex artworks: two tall bronze trees standing at 18 and 9 metres respectively, interlace their branches five metres above an 11-tonne sculpted marble rock. Archaeology and ruins, history and biology are intertwined with one another bringing attention to the permanent bond between nature and culture. A celebration of a deep synthesis between the flowing of natural and human time through a longing and romantic nostalgia for lost civilisations.
Through virtuous use of precious materials such as bronze and marble, Penone’s Foglie di Petra recalls the illusionism and marvel of Roman Baroque, while the fragments and the ruins inserted in the sculpture’s branches harken back to the Classic and Medieval era. What’s more, the artwork is the first oeuvre of a contemporary artist to be permanently installed in Rome’s public spaces and is bound to become a symbol of the identity of an ever-changing city that remains steadfastly linked to its historical roots.
www.fendi.com
Art
The world through Henk Schiffmacher’s “camereyes”
When Texas, Henk Schffmacher's daughter discovered her father's old 35mm negatives in a dusty drawer, she knew they had to be exposed for the world to see.
Dutch tattoo artist, Henk Schiffmacher has become known for his energetic and observational photographic work that is now being collected and exhibited for the first time ever. Highlighting the best and worst facets of modern society, this eclectic ensemble of pictures is a real representation of the world we live in through Schiffmacher's camera.
Taken between 1970 and 1985 these pictures give us a raw insight into the world of youths, bikers and tattoo fetishists from all around the globe – from Las Vegas, L.A., Amsterdam, and Tokyo to Mumbai, Manila, San Francisco and Kuala Lumpur.
This makes for an interesting juxtaposition: a wild mix of cultures, nationalities and excess against the backdrop of vintage cityscapes and timeless scenarios. Schiffmacher's photography offers a unique and brilliant view of the world as it was four decades ago.
Pure, direct and unprecedented just like photography should be.
www.schiffmachershoots.com
Art
A Technicolor Daydream Between the Birth and Death of the Universe – Double Feature at Fotografiska
Fotografiska Berlin presents Marco Brambilla’s exhibition Double Feature, a dazzling spectacle of the cult of glamor in Hollywood limboing between satire and celebration.
Two maximalist video collages work to recontextualize popular images, considering our obsession with the promises they seem to hold. The title of the exhibition creates a nostalgia for the past of motion pictures: the double feature. Seeing how two works form a unique interplay instead of standing alone without a contrast and taking the time to go see them as a conscious choice instead of being bombarded with more than one could view in a lifetime.
The two works exhibited are part of Brambilla’s Megaplex series and present an especially intriguing interplay, as Heaven’s Gate is the latest of this series created in 2022, and Civilization stands at its beginning in 2008. Heaven’s Gate is a journey through the seven levels of purgatory – each a fantastical looping landscape from Golden Age movies. Civilization offers a psychedelic journey from hell to heaven formed by a collage of iconic moments of cinematic history. A hyper realistic realm that is both eden and a burning abyss as a backdrop for the frenzy of media production and consumption with no end in sight.
Both works craft a targeted visual overload, demonstrating the state of media today as a machine constantly regurgitating what it has been fed, turning art into mere mechanical reproduction. It questions the sheer essence of art today and the future it may or may not have. A specifically fascinating aspect is that both artworks are incredibly timely today and speak to the same fear, frustration and wish for escapism despite more than a decade standing between them. Now looking at Civilization can almost turn into a nostalgic experience, as what was overwhelming in 2008 seems almost quaint in comparison to modern struggles with AI and the seemingly unstoppable speed of information.
What is art in the age of Mechanical Reproduction? A question Walter Benjamin asked close to a century ago and one that we will continue to grapple with until the machine comes to a halt.
Marco Brambilla’s Double Feature, on view at Fotografiska Berlin October 11th, 2024 – March 2nd, 2025.
www.berlin.fotografiska.com
Art
MONTBLANC HAUS Exhibition: INSPIRE WRITING | FILMMAKING
In Montblanc’s headquarters city, Hamburg, the first-class craftsmanship brand Montblanc unfolds its 100-year story of the Meisterstück with a temporary exhibition titled INSPIRE WRITING | FILMMAKING, presented at MONTBLANC HAUS.
The Meisterstück is one of Maison’s iconic writing instruments, boasting a high standard of performance, quality, and style with the signature Montblanc emblem. Over the past century, this sought-after writing instrument has undergone endless evolution, and its compelling story is celebrated through the exhibition.
Opening on June 6th, 2024, the exhibition honors the glorious journey of the legendary Meisterstück fountain pen, emphasizing the pivotal role of writing in filmmaking. It also showcases the new anniversary campaign dreamed up by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Wes Anderson. The exhibition takes visitors on a compelling journey through the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of the filmmaking process. From a source of inspiration progressing through ideas on paper to a re-imagined studio set for the brand’s campaign film, these unique installations offer sensory experiences to visitors in the filmmaking world.
Since its opening in Hamburg in 2022, MONTBLANC HAUS has been dedicated to narrating Montblanc’s history, craftsmanship, and the impact of its writing instruments. The INSPIRE WRITING | FILMMAKING exhibition highlights the value of writing in helping people express their full potential, emphasizing the profound connection between writing and the art of filmmaking.
www.montblanc.com
Art
Kaldewei- Milan Design Week 2024
Kaldewei, a luxury bathroom design brand recently showcased a new collection collaborated with e15, a Frankfurt-based interior label, known for its use of natural solid wood. The “e15-KALDEWEI collection encompassed a wide range of furniture and accessories and embodied progressive bathroom settings. To unite these two premium brands, there was Stefan Diez, one of Germany's most sought-after designers combined the shared values and progressive design with the luxurious material. His aesthetic, surely, transformed glazed bath objects into true works of art. Especially, during the Milan Design Week, Kaldewei presented the installation “Bath[o]phili” – inspired by the German philosopher Erich Fromm and his life-affirming concept of “biophilia”. This term combined the ancient Greek words "Bios" for life and "Philia" for love. Fromm's "passionate love for life and all living things" was translated into the neologism "Bathophilia" – the bath as a retreat for lively moments full of harmony, devotion, and aesthetic enjoyment. With "Bath[o]philia" at the Design Week, Kaldewei is meant to be an intimate sanctuary, an oasis of calm amidst the pulsating center of Milan. Moreover, Kaldewei merged visionary design with sustainability and meditative aspects. As a result, it combined modern luxury with sustainable thinking, pursuing the concept of Luxstainability, coined by Kaldewei itself. Kaldewei's design, thus, followed the motto, of being sustainable yet luxurious, which is reflected in its noble material, KALDEWEI steel enamel. With a unique, sustainable approach, the brand has offered design solutions for bathtubs, showers, and washbasins that give every bathroom sophisticated features.
www.kaldewei.com
Art
Salvatore Vignola’s “You Must Live” immersive experience
During Milan Fashion Week FW 2024/2025, designer Salvatore Vignola showcased his collection as a tribute to Palestine, presenting "You Must Live," an immersive experience inspired by Refaat Alareer's poem 'If I Must Die.'
The collection features a reinterpretation of the traditional Keffiyeh, using fabrics donated by readymade textiles, a studio focused on sustainable practices and material recycling and enhanced by prints designed by Trashy Clothing. The artwork was created to support a charitable cause, thus all profits from the sale of the collection were given to the NGO Palestine Red Crescent Society.
Salvatore Vignola also designed an exclusive T-shirt capsule, created alongside the Palestinian duo Trashy Clothing. The capsule is available for on-site purchase, to further support the fundraising efforts.
The experience was orchestrated by the Milanpyramid agency to pay tribute to Palestinian heritage through artworks by artist Amira Suboh, photographer Jasmine Barri and a live performance by artist Mohammed el Hajoui. For the occasion, El Hajoui also created a rug symbolizing hospitality through the ancestral gesture of sifting, adding depth to the exhibition. A projection of images accompanied by traditional Palestinian ballads choreographed by Daniele Vitale completed the ambiance.
More than a fashion show, “You Must Live” was a moving tribute to Palestine, merging artwork from different artists united for the same cause.
www.salvatorevignola.com
Art
Louis Vuitton at Art Basel Miami Beach
In a celebration of the longstanding collaboration between Louis Vuitton and legendary architect Frank Gehry, the luxury Maison is set to showcase the Frank Gehry x Louis Vuitton collection at this year's Art Basel Miami Beach. The specially designed booth embodies Gehry's signature aesthetic, featuring wood and cardboard models integral to his design process. The exhibition is organized into four themes dear to Gehry—Architecture and Form, Material Exploration, Animals, and the Twisted Box creation for "Celebrating Monogram." Visitors can explore a diverse array of objects, including handbags, trunks, perfume bottles, original artworks, sketches, and architectural models. A highlight of the event is the world premiere of the Louis Vuitton x Frank Gehry limited-edition handbag collection. The collaboration, based on key themes from Gehry's career, showcases designs inspired by Louis Vuitton's iconic Capucines bags, the Twisted Box Trunk, and the Bear With Us Clutch—a remarkable creation based on Gehry's 2014 Bear with Us sculpture. Each bag represents the fusion of Gehry's design prowess and Louis Vuitton's craftsmanship, featuring unique details like glass-like resin petals, leather marquetry, and innovative 3D cement-effect screen-printing. Louis Vuitton, now a global Associate Partner of Art Basel, reaffirms its commitment to the arts, building on a legacy that began nearly a century ago. The exhibition runs from December 8th to 10th at the West Lobby of the Miami Beach Convention Center, offering a captivating journey into the intersection of fashion, art, and architecture.
www.louisvuitton.com
Art
Kaldewei X Bethan Laura Wood
Kaldewei unveils the captivating "Avocado Dreams" collection by renowned British designer Bethan Laura Wood, in a bold fusion of design and functionality. Transforming four iconic pieces from Kaldewei's repertoire, Wood infuses her distinctive style into the Meisterstück Oyo Duo bathtub, Meisterstück Centro Duo Oval freestanding bathtub, Superplan Zero floor-level shower surface, and Miena washbasin bowl. Wood draws inspiration from the organic contours of the Meisterstück Oyo Duo, creating three mesmerising patterns and colour variations: "Avocado Swirl" in green tones, "Avocado Sea" in blue/purple tones, and the expressive "Avocado Disco." Each piece retains the characteristic lines of Kaldewei's bathroom objects while taking on a psychedelic and dramatic metamorphosis. The Oyo Duo bathtub, with its double-walled construction inspired by Japanese porcelain, stands as a sustainable masterpiece in the collection. The Meisterstück Centro Duo Oval, born from Kaldewei's collaboration with Ettore Sottsass, receives a fresh burst of "Avocado Swirl," adding another layer of artistic depth. Wood's creative touch extends to the Miena washbasin bowls, where purist design meets a filigree touch, adorned with the extraordinary patterns of "Avocado Dreams." The Superplan Zero floor-level shower surface, characterised by elegant lines, takes on the lively "Avocado Sea" interpretation, promising an exhilarating shower experience. Beyond their artistic allure, these Kaldewei products share a commitment to sustainability—they are plastic-free and made of 100 percent recyclable steel enamel, fitting seamlessly into Kaldewei's Lustainability® world. The "Avocado Dreams" collection is a testament to the marriage of art, luxury, and environmental consciousness in the realm of bathroom design.
www.kaldewei.com
Art
We Kidnapped the Bridge
The conceptual artist JAŠA’s newest site-specific installation and performance, We Kidnapped the Bridge at Kühlhaus Berlin, will take place on the 27th of May. JAŠA has constantly been exploring and confronting the limits of the creation of art. Through his approaching performance, his aim is to explore the relationships between different mediums and how the performing body is in a dialogue with the space. We Kidnapped the Bridge is the 8th Chapter of The Monuments Opus. Each chapter of The Monuments consists of various narrative parallel and contrasting threads that contemplate closeness, urgency, and self-realization through reaction and presence. Supported by a magnificent performance group– the performance is set to generate and shape reality.
Urgency and survival are powerfully reflected through an element of urgency present in the performance art– the protagonists are observed trying to build ways to survive and thrive in any conditions. The possibilities with live artwork are immense– a consent commentary on the current sociopolitical developments and more is made possible in the face of malleable and transformative art. The creation of something ephemeral and intangible can be commented on as futile. Still, on the contrary, the unique and fleeting characteristics of the performance create art that asserts its own attitude, rather than following, obeying, or reflecting on one.
The one-time-only site-specific installation and performance will take place on Saturday the 27th of May from 4 pm - 11 pm at Kühlhaus Berlin.
www.jasha.org
www.kuehlhaus-berlin.com
Art
The Revival of French Modernism
As a contribution to the PAD Paris 2023 design fair, Saint Laurent’s Creative Director Anthony Vaccarello partnered with several prestigious Parisian galleries to curate a tasteful selection of vintage furniture. The French Modernists Exhibition is dedicated to French Art Deco & Modernist design– centered around the work of Jean-Michel Frank, although designed almost a century ago the exhibition assuredly exhibits the modern and contemporary nature of Frank’s creations. Additionally, Vaccarello also included pieces by Jacques Adnet and Jean Després, expanding the realm of modernist artists appreciated.
The furniture expert Jean-Michel Frank basked in pre-war glory and spent his time decorating the homes of the intellectual and artistic elite. The minimalism highlighted by his designs gives them an edge- a transcendental quality concocted by the stripping of forms. His genius fell through the cracks of wartime, however, dealers, historians, and collectors from the ‘60s outlined his rediscovery as a masterful designer and artist. Yves Saint Laurent was a huge contributor to Frank’s rediscovery – the 2009 historical estate sale of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé transparently exhibits the passion for the works of Jean-Michel Frank, now one of the most expensive and sought-after artists.
The exhibition is riddled with the nuances of French modernism, tied together with the silk rope of minimalism. The materials used highlight the lines of the pieces- natural lines are highlighted with natural materials. Details resembling minuscule portions of our elusive world. This breathtaking exhibition will be on view from March 28th to April 24th at Rive Droite stores in Paris and Los Angeles.
www.saintlaurent.com
Art
EX POST FACTO
The new exhibition ALICE SPRINGS. RETROSPECTIVE will open on June 2nd 2023 at the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin. In celebration of June Newton’s, aka Alice Springs, 100th Birthday, over 200 photographs will be displayed. This is hardly the first time we encounter her work. However, for the first time, this exhibition will introduce her never-before-seen work as vintage or exhibition prints, resulting from in-depth research into the foundation’s archives and following the acquisition of new holdings from Newton’s apartment in Monaco.
In 1970, due to her husband’s illness, June Newton found impromptu success after taking over an advertisement shoot for the French cigarette brand Gitanes. Known for her all-embracing portraiture, June’s talent to depict idiosyncrasy adds a multidimensional element to her subjects – including fellow photographers and celebrities, such as Nicole Kidman, Richard Avedon, and Vivienne Westwood. Blending curiosity and compassion, she produces intimate, cliché free portraits which reveal her subject’s essence, as they look into her 35 mm lens with proud poses, natural self-confidence and shy glances. Shots were usually carried out in public spaces or at the protagonists’ houses, making natural light a dominant feature of her work. In addition, this rare exhibition incorporates some of Helmut Newton’s pictures of his wife and select self-portraits, as well as a curated excerpt from the couple’s legendary collaborative project.
The exhibition highlights the continuous intersection of the couple’s work, as they now meet again in Berlin. ALICE SPRINGS. RETROSPECTIVE will be on display from June 3rd until November 19th of 2023.
helmut-newton-foundation.org
Art
Come Stai?
Gaetano Pesce, an Italian architect, artist and designer, is regaled as one of the leading design minds of the 20th century. His designs have often been characterized by a witty modern style, bringing vibrant colors to everyday utilitarian objects. His style is fundamentally experimental; using unconventional modes of color, shape, and especially material in his designs. Today, his works are on permanent exhibition in some of the most important art and design museums in the world, such as the MoMa of New York and San Francisco, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Centre Pompidou, and the Musee des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.
In September 2021, Bottega Veneta Creative Director Matthieu Blazy commissioned the design mastermind to create a temporary artwork to act as the show space for Bottega Veneta’s Summer 23 fashion show in Milan. Since the mid-1990s, Pesce has been pioneering the use of resin as a design material. Bringing this distinctive technique to the collaboration, Pesce created a saturated space of sprawling resin, including a sculptural resin floor that acted as the runway as well as 4000 resin chairs. Each chair was created to be “alike in material but unique in color and form” – a tribute, according to Pesce, to the uniqueness and originality of human beings.
A book by the name Come Stai? commissioned by Bottega Veneta with Pesce and Blazy explores the ideation, approach and process of the collaboration. A selection of the chairs from Pesce’s Come Stai? Series will be featured in the Bottega Veneta exhibition at Design Miami/ from 30 November – 4 December. A book signing with Gaetano Pesce will take place at the exhibition space on 30 November. HZ
www.miamidesigndistrict.net
Art
Mercedes Benz presents: Entergalactic with Kid Cudi in Paris
Mercedes Benz has long been recognized as one of the world’s premier car manufacturers, which finds constant inspiration in its core values of technology and innovation. But throughout the years, the German car manufacturer has also extended its expertise into the cultural sector having not only supported various Fashion Weeks all over the world but also through its collaborations with various artists from different artistic and creative industries. With its different projects, Mercedes Benz brings together the most relevant names from different disciplines and hence creates a platform for the meeting and collaboration of creative pioneers. This October, Mercedes Benz was proud to present its newest collaboration with world-class creative Kid Cudi and renowned artist KAWS. Revealed and celebrated in the gardens of the Musée Rodin in Paris, this collaboration illustrates both artists’ excellence in their field through the lens of human-centric innovation whilst also mirroring Mercedes Benz’s core belief in responsible design and creativity. This unique and exclusive launch was in line with the world premiere of the EQE SUV from Mercedes-EQ and Mercedes-AMG, a presentation of the Mercedes Benz art collection and the immersive 360-degree installation specially created for the “Magical Garage” campaign. Amongst the many guests were the likes of Roger & Mirka Federer, Heron Preston, Amina Muaddi & Fary Lopes who all joined Mercedes Benz for this special night at Musée Rodin in Paris.
www.mercedes-benz.com
Art
The Conservatorium Hotel and Van-Gogh-Museum create a culinary homage inspired by Gustav Klimt
To celebrate the upcoming exhibition Golden Boy Gustav Klimt of the Van-Gogh-Museum in Amsterdam, the museum partners up with the renowned Conservatorium Hotel. Amid the museum district of the Dutch capital, the hotel fits perfectly within the exhibition’s context of exploring Klimt’s life and body of work, including his inspirations. For this reason, Taiko Cuisine & Bar is going to serve a special three part culinary homage, dedicated to the famed artist and the exhibition. To honor Gustav Klimt through the culinary experience, bar chef Marios Ragkavis created a wonderful Gin-Cocktail with a tincture of gold, a color significant to Klimt’s art. Translated by toasted almond, passion fruit, bergamot, lime, and grapefruit, the Golden Treasure cocktail is a revelation of taste. This is followed by the main course, created by Hugo Engels, Executive Sous Chef of the Taiko. It consists of a black taiko-style bao bun painted with copper and gold tones, which is filled with umeboshi plum, duck, and sansho pepper, combined with a gold-trimmed Sichuan tree of life cookie and fresh edible flowers. The inspiration for this exceptional dish was offered by Klimt’s The Tree of Life. His painting Judith is referenced in pastry chef Maikel Vet’s dessert, as it mirrors the shapes and patterns, underlined by the elegant taste of almonds and chocolate, rounding off the menu. JW
www.vangoghmuseum.com
www.conservatoriumhotel.com
Art
Prada exhibits Who the Bær by Simon Fujiwara
First shown at Fondazione Prada’s Milan venue in 2021, the Italian brand now presents the exhibition Who the Bær by Simon Fujiwara at the Prada Aoyama Tokyo. At the center of the exhibition is the cartoon bear Who, a completely undefined personality, who takes on the chaotic journey through a “Whoniverse” of images in order to find and shape their identity. Simon Fujiwara created this character as a mirror of our society, which is obsessed with finding one’s true self. Thus, Fujiwara and Who explore a variety of current topics, ranging from climate change to plastic surgery.
Inspired by fantasy literature, the artist lets Who’s story begin with the question “Who is Who?”, depicted on a collage in the form of a book cover. He continues with a stop frame animation titled “Hello Who?” posing philosophical, authenticity questions to the cartoon bear. The exhibition also includes childlike drawings which show how Who is able to change his identity at any given moment, referring to today’s logic of social media. In this manner, the bear continues his journey of self discovery.
The artwork reveals a paradox of our society as we strive for fantasy and authenticity all at the same time. Reflecting the real world by leading the audience through his fantastical and sometimes disturbing universe is significant to Fujiwara’s body of work.
The exhibition Who The Bær by Simon Fujiwara will be open to the public from October 15th, 2022 to January 30th, 2023 at Prada Aoyama Tokyo. JW
www.fondazioneprada.org
Art
Brussels Gallery Weekend - Louisa Gagliardi at Rodolphe Janssen
Rodolphe Janssen is presenting the third solo show of Swiss artist Louisa Gagliardi, Around the Clock, in the course of Brussels Gallery Weekend.
As a base for her artworks presented in this exhibition, Gagliardi approached the method of loci, often referred to as the ‘memory palace’. The method serves to train the recollective memory by creating a familiar structure, in which new information can be easily navigated. The artworks by Gagliardi construct a world that seems familiar yet ambivalent to our presence. The artist leaves it open, who actually looks at whom and if the viewers are actually welcome to look at the scenery. Nevertheless, we become equal actors as our view is led in a triangular way through the artwork, freezing the moment.
The Zurich-based artist creates digital-based paintings made in Photoshop and printed on PVC banners. At this point of the production, Gagliardi makes adjustments by hand, using gel medium or nail polish to add accents. This process results in the depiction of a dreamlike world filled with avatars and conveyors, folding together nostalgia and memory.
The exhibition Around the Clock by Louisa Gagliardi will be open to the public from September 8th to October 22th, 2022 at Rodolphe Janssen in Brussels. JW
LOUISA GAGLIARDI
Tête-à-Tête, 2022
Gel medium, ink on PVC, 370 x 1100 cm
Courtesy of the artist and Rodolphe Janssen, Brussels
www.rodolphejanssen.com
Art
Brussels Gallery Weekend - Seulgi Lee at Mendes Wood
In the event of the Brussels Gallery Weekend, Mendes Wood is presenting the first solo exhibition of Korean-born artist Seulgi Lee, called Slow Water. The works displayed by the gallery were made especially for this occasion.
The sculptures and installations of Seulgi Lee are characterized by bright and cheerful colors as well as simple but elegant forms. Exploring ordinary objects, everyday language, and natural forms, her works follow a formal aesthetic. The creation of her art is based on a utilitarian approach, linked to the nature of the body, presenting her work as usable and handy tools. Furthermore, Lee appreciates and draws her inspiration from folk crafts. For this reason, she has already collaborated with Korean quilters from Tongyeong and traditional basket makers from Mexico. In the creation process, the artist does not decide between a formal, polished sculptural practice and a more popular aesthetic but combines them both in her artworks. Thus, her art bears a unique signature, which is expressed in form, color, and gesture.
The exhibition Slow Water by Seulgi Lee will be open to the public from September 8th to October 8th, 2022 at the gallery Mendes Wood in Brussels. JW
SEULGI LEE
BAGATELLE, 2022
Wood, metal balls
Courtesy of the artist, Jousse Entreprise and MENDES WOOD DM, Sao Paulo, Brussels
New York
www.mendeswooddm.com
Art
Brussels Gallery Weekend - Joe Bradley at Xavier Hufkens
During this year’s Brussels Gallery Weekend, Xavier Hufkens presents the exhibition New Paltz by American Artist Joe Bradley.His paintings, drawings, and sculptures are characterized by his visual style, composed of an art historical canon, popular culture, and his own experiences. In spite of being influenced by art history, Bradley’s style remains autonomous and individual.
New Paltz puts a large number of recent paintings and works on paper on display. As the New York-based artist created these large paintings on the floor, he thereby documents the decay of the art studio and challenges the legacy of Abstract Expressionism. The beaming and layered paintings offer a great many associations. For his drawings, Bradley uses pencils, pens, or markers. As a result, the spontaneous compositions resemble the framing logic of a comic, although any kind of narrative is negated. Figures, text, and abstractions coming from his imaginary collection of jokes and riddles are to be found in these drawings.
The exhibition New Paltz by Joe Bradley will be open to the public from September 9th to October 15th, 2022, at Xavier Hufkens in Brussels. JW
JOE BRADLEY
Savant, 2020-2021
Photo credit: HV-studio
Courtesy of the artist and Xavier Hufkens, Brussels
www.xavierhufkens.com
Art
"Come Home Again" by Es Devlin highlights London's endangered wildlife
British artist Es Devlin has teamed up with Cartier and the London Wildlife Trust to present a large-scale public artwork in the Tate Modern Garden in central London. “Come home again” draws attention to the 243 most endangered species of London’s Wildlife, including insects, birds, and plants. The illuminated sculpture depicts a sliced open-scale model of the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedrale, swarmed with Devlin’s pencil drawing of each of the living creatures. The visitors are invited to participate in the artwork, as QR-Codes within the choral tiers will guide them to more information about London’s wildlife. Thus, the artist aims to motivate the visitors to further engage with the issue presented. Furthermore, London-based Choral groups will accompany the artwork each evening at sunset with an interpretation of Choral Evensong, a kind of sung evening prayer. Devlin combines the singing with the voices and sounds of the species, illustrating London as the interconnected web of species and cultures that it is. In doing so, Devlin wants to build a connection between London’s residents and the non-human inhabitants of the British capital.
Cyrille Vigneron, CEO of Cartier, explains that “Art and creativity are important in order to talk about today’s world in a human and touching way. Coming Home Again represents how we can be inspired by the beauty of the world wherever it may be”.
The exhibition will be open to the public from the 16th to the 25th of September 2022. JW
www.wildlondon.org.uk
www.cartier.com
Art
“Torso Reloaded” - Homage to Andy Warhol
On October 1st 2022, the solo exhibition “Torso Reloaded” by Nadine Dinter will open at Haze Gallery in Berlin. 10 years ago, Dinter developed the concept while working alongside a long-term companion of Warhol, Christopher Makos. Here, the artists traveled with former erotic model and tattoo artist Benjamin Godfre, who is a passionate Warhol fan. Using this, Dinter and Godfre spontaneously decided to photographically recreate Warhol’s legendary Torso series from 1977. Now, Nadine Dinter has recreated the series using the different body types of the current generations of men, with Warhol’s spirit as the continued inspiration. Alongside Benjamin Godfre, six representative men are presented: from a model, influencer, wrestler, computer scientist, and photographer. Shifting away from Warhol’s initial project of capturing the front and back of the models in a tight, close up shot, Dinter’s wider framing gives them more space, adding impact to individual characteristics such as tattoos, scars, and musculature. As a result, the bodies seem close enough to touch without being overtly sexualized. The exhibition also addresses the female gaze on the male body, while documenting the exploration of the body cult in contemporary society. These contemplative body shots were taken using only natural lighting between January and April this year. Each image captures its own story, transforming the bare image into a unique photographic profile. GH
Image: Nadine Dinter; Traegi, Cologne 2022 © Nadine Dinter courtesy HAZEGALLERY
www.haze.gallery
Art
Loro Piana Interiors Presents New Furniture by Raphael Navot
A new installation by Loro Piana Interiors can be discovered at Cortile della Seta, in Via della Moscova 33. During Milan Design Week, the Italian brand has unveiled exclusive furniture designed by Raphael Navot in the name of craftsmanship, softness, intimacy, and togetherness. The non-industrial designer, who had already worked in partnership with Loro Piana, has set up an exhibition where the objects are hidden and revealed simultaneously through a landscape of soft, undulating dunes. In 2021, Raphael Navot launched The Palm Duet Chaise Longue in Cashfur fabric by Loro Piana Interiors. It was an ode to intimacy and pleasure. Today, distinctive elements of The Palm Duet recur in the new objects characterized by the same soft lines and contemporary aesthetic. A sofa, méridienne, armchair, stools, a side, a coffee table, and an ottoman have been created with a futuristic approach, but without indulging in the cold hyper-technological vision of the future. The new furniture, made of the noblest fibers, can be either used alone, with their elegant personality or grouped in joyful interactions dedicated to conviviality; thus the name “Palm” as in the palm of a hand with fingers slightly closed to welcome, protect, repair. It is all a game of interactions. The Loro Piana Interiors installation will be open to visitors from June 9th, 2022. VB
www.loropiana.com
Art
The Miss Dior Chair by Philippe Starck
The Medaillon chair, an object so dear to Christian Dior and an inexhaustible source of inspiration for the Maison, makes its comeback thanks to the French industrial architect Philippe Starck during the Salone del Mobile 2022. The one between the designer and Dior Maison is an unprecedented collaboration that reinterprets an iconic piece of furniture, a quintessential symbol of French Art de Vivre and Louis XVI style. Philippe Starck has created timelessly elegant pieces with clean lines and marked by modernity exalted by the lightness of aluminum. Named “Miss Dior,” the new chairs are true works of art that can be discovered at Palazzo Citterio, a sumptuous 18th-century building located in the heart of Milan. The installation is a one-of-a-kind experience. The design items are presented in a monochrome decor of a deep, matte black that gives the exhibit a theatrical allure and highlights the materials used to make the chairs. In addition, an interplay of light, punctuated by a musical composition created for Dior by Soundwalk Collective, originates a scenographic choreography. The Miss Dior Chair imagined by Philippe Starck will be on view from June 7 to 12, 2022. VB
www.dior.com
Art
illycaffè presents the new illy Art Collection
Inspired by the theme of the 59th International Art Exhibition “The Milk of Dreams”, illycafè present the new illy Art Collection dedicated to Biennale Arte 2022. Selected by the curator of Biennale Arte 2022 Cecilia Alemani are six artists whose styles and geographical origins are profoundly different. These include Cecilia Vicuña, Felipe Baeza, Giulia Cenci, Precious Okoyomon, Alexandra Pirici, and Aki Sasamoto. By infusing each cup with their creative genius, the six artists designed a unique collection that brings together diverse approaches that encompass sculpture, painting, poetry, photography, and choreography. The iconic cup was created in 1991 by Matteo Thun, who envisioned the cup as not only a vessel for drinking but as a vehicle for information, conscious and subconscious. Therefore, this simple and harmonious cup with a purposeful shape and round handle quickly became a medium for Artists’ expression and one of the largest contemporary collections of obtainable art. The new collection dedicated to the 59th International Art Exhibition marks the important milestone of these iconic cups turning 30. Celebrating this, the Royal Gardens in Venice is hosting an exhibition re-tracing the most salient events in the 30-year history of the illy Art Collection. The exhibition reveals 109 collections and 459 different interpretations of the historic white espresso cup, representing one of the largest collections of contemporary art in the world. GH
www.illy.com
Art
NN Art Award 2022 for Vytautas Kumža
On 18 May, the NN Art Award was presented for the sixth time at Art Rotterdam. As a supporter of talent and all art explorers, NN Group has always invested in culture, giving artists the opportunity and a platform to inspire others. This year, The four nominated artists were: Inez de Brauw (Brinkman & Bergsma), Vytautas Kumža (Galerie Martin van Zomeren), Thierry Ousso (Lumen Travo Galerie), and Jennifer Tee (Galerie Fons Welters). Their works are on display in the NN Art Award stand. But the prize has been assigned to the Lithuanian-born, Amsterdam-based visual artist Vytautas Kumža. Represented by gallery Martin van Zomeren, he is a contemporary art talent with an authentic visual language and innovative approach. In his works, Vytautas Kumža combines sculptural elements and presentation displays to create embodied experiences for the audience. Visual illusions, spatial constructs, inverted colors, and exaggerated scales are found in his practice. The NN Art Award aims to promote young talents but also to put the spotlight on the exceptional quality of art education in the Netherlands. Artists from all over the world know where to find the Dutch academies. VB
www.artrotterdam.com
Art
Art, inside and out, Rotterdam 2022
Rotterdam Art is the most renowned fair for contemporary art in the Netherlands. Each year, Art Rotterdam offers a stage for the latest developments in the visual arts. With a sharp focus on young talent, varying different topics, and the connection with the city of Rotterdam make Art Rotterdam a unique experience. This year, a special spring edition of Art Rotterdam will take place in Van Nelle Fabriek, which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, there will be works and installations both outside and inside. Outside, there will be a record number of seventeen large-scale works and installations in the outdoor area, many of which are specifically designed for the occasion. Indoors, there is a floor area of 10,000 m2, where more than a hundred leading national and international galleries will show the work of upcoming and established talent. Two new valuable innovations will be introduced in this 23rd exhibition: firstly, the projections video section will be given a completely new format; also, a major expansion is being planned for Prospects, the Mondriaan Fund’s exhibition. Each year Art Rotterdam becomes more of an attractive alternative for art lovers within the international field of fairs. The special spring edition will take place from May 19th-22nd 2022. GH
www.artrotterdam.com
Art
TEFAF Maastricht Announces the Exhibitors of the 35th Edition
TEFAF Maastricht, the renowned international exhibit, has announced its return in June 2022. Every year, the premier fair for fine art, antiques, and design brings together 242 of the best dealers and galleries from around the world, displaying works of unrivaled quality and historical significance to a global audience of private collectors, museum curators, and art market professionals. For the 35th edition, TEFAF Maastricht, that for the first time will open its doors from the 25th to 30th of June instead of taking place in March, will make Europe a summer destination of choice for global collectors and lovers of art. The 2022 lineup comprises 242 dealers from 20 countries, with 218 returning dealers and 18 newcomers. In addition, TEFAF Showcase will introduce six new galleries to the TEFAF community, Bartha Contemporary in the UK, and the Galerie Nicolas Bourriaud, Imperial Art, Galerie Mendes, Galerie Pauline Pavec, Royal Provenance in France. Chairman Hidde van Seggelen speaking about TEFAF Maastricht, said - I speak for our whole dealer community when I express how thrilling it is to be returning for the 35th edition of TEFAF Maastricht. The wealth of history and expertise presented by our exhibitors has always been extraordinary and this year will be no exception. VB
www.tefaf.com
Art
Safari by Arsham Studio with Stone Island
Daniel Arsham and Stone Island have collaborated to customize a Porsche 930 and a Unimog 404 for all-terrain purposes, using reimagined heritage Stone Island fabrics. The safari car was built with the purpose of being for off-road use, using many original pieces from the ’70s, and ‘80s. It has been modified to proper rally-car specs. The Safari car was made for vintage-lovers, reconstructed with added bumpers, skid-plates, lights, and heightened suspension, ready for any environment under any condition. Also designed is a reimagined Unimog 404 to go alongside the Safari as a recovery vehicle, following the traditions behind typical rallying. The Unimog is embellished by similar Stone Island details throughout the exterior and interior as the Porsche, with a custom dab green finish. The seat fabric in both vehicles has been reimagined using specially-crafted moleskin from Stone Island, prioritizing functionality. This enhances the seat grip for the driver on the off-road terrain. Visualizing this collaboration is a short documentary film by Jeremy Elkin, narrated by Daniel Arsham. The film captures the process of the vehicles coming to life from the careful fitting of the vehicles in New York and Atlanta to the breathless vistas in the California desert. GH
www.stoneisland.com
www.danielarsham.com
Art
Saint Laurent Rive Droite, Robert Mapplethorpe
Creative Director of Saint Laurent, Anthony Vaccarello has paid tribute to the works of Robert Mapplethorpe through an exhibition of original works displayed in the Rive Droite stores in Paris and Los Angeles. This is in collaboration with the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, whose goal is to continue the artist’s legacy of promoting photography as an art form and supporting HIV/AIDS medical research. Mapplethorpe mastered the light, shadows, and shapes through compositions of still lifes, both male and female nudes and portraits. These were to challenge the standards of classical aesthetics. His widely known work contributed to a new perception of photographic art, and at the same time elevated fine art photography to the level of respect and attention given to sculpture and painting. His vast, provocative, and powerful works have established him as one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. Saint Laurent Rive Droite Paris and Los Angeles will host an exclusive selection of original artwork by Robert Mapplethorpe. The exhibitions will include silver gelatine photographs and Polaroids of still lifes, portraits, and nudes, courtesy of Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery in Paris and Morán Morán Gallery in Los Angeles. In connection with this, Vaccarello has designed a unique lifestyle collection in collaboration with the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. This limited edition includes bags, leather goods, clothing, porcelain, and pillows available to purchase in both stores. GH
www.ysl.com
www.mapplethorpe.org
Art
Who the Bær’s Search For Identity
British artist Simon Fujiwara is announcing his second solo exhibition to be shown in Berlin at the beginning of 2022. The exhibition, titled Once Upon a Who? Revolves around the character of Who the Bær – a fictive figure Simon Fujiwara has brought to life with a series of cartoons. The bear appears as a quirky companion, wearing a pair of denim trousers with a heart made of gold – in a literal way, as it is visible on his upper body- as well as an uncontrollably long tongue that – as the observer suspects – leads him into trouble as it spills secrets and witty statements. Purposely, Who the Bær has no determined gender, race or sexuality and even his design is distinguished by a prototype-like understatement. Simon Fujiwara created a narrative for the bear that centers around a search for identity. In a seemingly endless manner, Who roams a fictional world, appropriating characters, identities and aesthetics during a selfish search of a “self”. Who's journey can be followed on a namesake Instagram account. On the occasion of the exhibition, Simon Fujiwara and Esther Schipper gallery have curated a little shop, named “Whotique”, devoted to the merchandise of Who the Bær, including apparel, homeware and posters, enabling the visitors to take home an anecdote of the “Whouniverse”. The boutique has been initiated by Highsnobiety, after collaborating for Art Basel Miami Beach. Once Upon a Who? By Simon Fujiwara is on show at Esther Schipper gallery, Berlin, from January 15th until February 26th.
www.estherschipper.com
Art
Marséll Exhibition: The Edge Effect
Marséll hosts a new exhibition named The Edge Effect, curated by Chiara Bardelli Nonino, visual editor at Vogue Italia, and Jordan Anderson, editor-at-large of NSS magazine. Marséll was founded in 2001 as a shoe manufacturer, distinguishing itself from other shoe brands by using innovative techniques as well as traditional methods in a nonindustrial manner, resulting in original handcrafted shoes. Later on, the brand developed a concept to support young artists, a multidisciplinary exhibition space called Marséllaria. The performances and exhibitions at Marséllaria serve as a platform for like-minded young visionaries to meet for cultural exchanges. The Edge Effect exhibition revolves around ecotone, which describes a transitional area where two different ecosystems meet, and through mutual influence, intensify and enlarge in density and uniqueness. This phenomenon is an ideal metaphor for our contemporary society, where our identity and the concept of belonging are constantly changing. Each participating artist prepared variations on contemporary Italian identity with a biographical approach through visual dialogues or experimentation in fashion or digital art. The Edge Effect aims to articulate the Italian identity of the future with different approaches, resulting in a personal exhibition that gives exclusive insights into the family history and everyday life of the artists.
www.marsell.com
Art
Cartier Fondation pour l’art contemporain
The Fondation Cartier unveils a particular film by Artavazd Pelechian at the 34th international documentary festival in Amsterdam. The foundation was established in 1984 by the luxury jewelry conglomerate on the concept of supporting artists and artistic creation through temporary exhibitions, live performances, and lectures. For the festival, Cartier decided to showcase the film Nature by Armenian film director Artavazd Pelechian. Nature marks a milestone for the director—it is Pelechian´s first published film after 30 years. The 64-minute film offers an exceptional cinematic experience, displaying found footage of natural disasters and Pelechian´s signature theme— humanity’s relationship with nature. The director also created a new and sensual visual language through slowing, reframing, and inverting the archive footage used in the film. “I am convinced that cinema can convey certain things that no language in the world can translate. For me, it goes back to the Tower of Babel, to before the division into different languages,” The exceptional film is the result of 15 years of hard work, thorough editing and relentless pursuit for perfection. The French luxury Maison proves once again its unparalleled intuition for unique potential, not only in jewelry designs but just as well in artistic productions.
www.fondationcartier.com
Art
Gallery Weekend *Discoveries: Offset
Coinciding with the Gallery Weekend *Discoveries, LA-based artist Kate Mosher Hall is showcasing her first solo exhibition at Tanya Leighton. Kate Mosher’s artworks are individuated by her unique style. The painting displayed in Offset revolve around a play of black, white and grey-scale; capturing walls, facades, windows and doors hid beneath shadows, partially illuminated by faint light beams. By depicting close up details of larger imaginary architecture and blurring the surroundings into silhouettes and hushed projections, Kate Mosher Hall draws in the attention towards a specific segment. The paintings exude simmering darkness, letting the mind of the observer pause with an uncertain premonition, following the pathway of the light beams. The imagery carries a melancholic heaviness, enforced by the low-resolution style of painting. The grainy overlay amplifies a feeling of secrecy and indeterminacy. While looking at the surfaces the pictures seem to question realities, portraying an intimate yet secluded emotion that trailblazes a feeling of foreshadowings. The mind begins to wander, curious to see through the glass of the windows, through the blinds and curtains, through the keyholes of a door – only to reveal nothing but what the observer's inner eye fathoms to imagine. The light beams search with a faint luminosity, seemingly escaping the two dimensions of the paintings, just a moment in time away from unveiling what lies behind the blurred surfaces.
Offset by Kate Mosher Hall is exhibited at Tanya Leighton, Berlin, from September 17th to October 23rd 2021.
www.tanyaleighton.com
www.gallery-weekend-berlin.de
Art
Gallery Weekend *Discoveries: Bait
Emerging artist Daniel Hölzl explores cycles of transience through his work. With his site-specific, performative installations, he captures how moments in time and states of being are underlying a constant, ever-lasting process of change. This cyclical clockwork is represented through technological or natural processes executed through programmed technological influences and unpredictable elements such as air and water. Focusing on contrasting and recycled materials such as carbon fiber, flowing fabrics, plastic materials and industrial packaging, the installations induce critical questions towards system structure and the relations between the individual elements of this structure. For the Gallery Weekend *Discoveries, the Austrian artist created an installation displayed on the façade and entrance of the Dittrich & Schlechtriem gallery. Exhibited under the title Bait, the installation touches upon the dynamics between the art object, the exhibition spaces and the interaction of the visitors. The installations consist of parachute silk constructs that mirror architectural elements of the building and carbon fiber frameworks distorting the surface of the façade. The installations of Bait feature Hözl's signature use of constant movement, as the constructs are moved by arbitrary airstreams from the outside and technology, portraying a meditative, autonomous spectacle that exemplifies how the single elements contribute to the entity of the art work.
Bait by Daniel Hölzl is exhibited at Dittrich & Schlechtriem, Berlin, from September 15th - September 19th 2021.
www.dittrich-schlechtriem.com
www.hoelzldaniel.com
www.gallery-weekend-berlin.de
Art
Gallery Weekend *Discoveries: Fictions
A canvas covered in dense paint strokes, winding curves, blurred layers of emerald green and greyish billows of smoke. The painting reminds of a deep forest, dense undergrowth blends into shadow shapes. A portrait of a girl, hiding beneath a surface of paint. Diverging saturations of color tease the eye of the observer, the dimensions between the girl and the surface are impossible to gauge. Artworks like these, where mystical sceneries and fantastical creatures become alive in the observer's eye are the signature pieces of Brook Hsu. Hsu, who is known for interweaving autobiographical and imaginative elements, includes a combination of painting, textiles, sculptures and texts into her body of work. Her paintings titillate the imagination of the observer, inviting into mythological realms embedded in art historical narratives. Hsu creates depth by playing with shapes, contours and layers. Nuances of black and varying shades of green are an integral component of her work. Not least the color choice contributes to the narrow ridge between a menacing and calming message that her paintings convey. The piercing, at times feverish imagery addresses the psyche of the viewer, reflecting matters that revolve around fear, sadness, uncertainty and curiosity. Pre-Christian myths, historical occurrences, modern literature, films and personal stories are Hsu’s sources of inspiration. Derived from these sources, her paintings convey a realm where the ethereal and factual, the fantastical and real and the historical and personal meet. The psychedelic yet tranquil character of the paintings opens the gate for a mind game in which the observer loses touch with reality while being firmly grounded by autobiographical interpretations.
Fictions by Brook Hsu is exhibited at Kraupa Tuskany Zeidler, Berlin, from September 15th - September 19th 2021.
www.k-t-z.com
www.gallery-weekend-berlin.de
Art
Brussels Gallery Weekend: Four Months, Four Million Light Years
On February 8th, 2021 the Dutch government has officially put an end to transnational adoptions, hoping to prevent the systematic trafficking and fraud that these processes often inherit. Korean/ Dutch artist Sara Sejin Chang set herself to raise awareness of these past malpractices by dedicating an exhibition to the matter. With Four months, four million light years she captures the colonial past of interracial adoptions. Named after a decree of the Korean government, which stipulated four months as the minimum time frame for children to stay in one orphanage before adoption, the exhibition calls out the transnational and transracial adoption industry. The adoption industry leaves a trail of individual fates confronted with deracination and an ever-lasting question of cultural belonging. The artifacts and anecdotes displayed are an homage to these persons who have been separated from their families, ancestors and inevitably cultural heritage. A composition of textiles, paper text banners and drawings accompany a video projection of a colonial print that marks the entry point of the exhibition. The print serves as a memorial for the beginning of a long history of racialized and infantilizing descriptions of Asian cultures and the violent eradiation of shamanistic cultures by Western missionaries. Drawing from her own experience and those of other adoptees, Sara travels through time in her works, from early colonial descriptions to contemporary adoption society. Sara honors the healing power of the shamanic figures and ancient traditions throughout the exhibition, emphasizing how a reconnection to cultural roots and spirituality is a sacrosanct pillar for adopted persons.
Four months, four million light years is exhibited at Argos, Brussels, from October 9th - December 12th 2021.
www.argosarts.org
www.sarasejinchang.com
Art
Brussels Gallery Weekend: Post-Truth and Meditative Textures
Nino Mier Gallery is making its debut at the Brussel Gallery Weekend with the LA-based artist Dashiell Manley. Manley’s works are characterized by a unique sculpting technique that creates a textured surface in which oil paint fans out in shell-like patterns, distantly reminding of psychedelic visions. The alternating surface of his paintings and the use of vibrant color palettes lend his works an unexpectedly soothing, harmonious character. The creation of these meditative works stems from the personal development of the artist. Prior to finding emotionality and tranquility in his works, Manley was known for the subtle language of satire. In his early years, he converted political print media, such as newspaper front pages or cartoons into abstract, distorted versions on canvas. Depicting the news as a blurry mess conveyed the decay of media outlets in times of careless and unquestioned news consumption. Commenting on the role of the media in a post-truth era through his art, were the leading steps of artistic transition for Manley. After the process of visualizing post-truth matters, in which emotion and personal beliefs rule over reliable sources and facts, Manley sought for an equilibrium that would combat the frustration and critique he had visualized for years. Hence, as an artistic reprieve, the artist switched to a more meditative practise, ruled by open gestures and movements. Despite the complete reversal of the motivation behind Manley’s pieces, they show a distinct visual language making use of pastel colors and large-scale patterns.
Dashiell Manley’s art is exhibited at Nino Mier Gallery, Brussels, from September 9th - October 9th 2021.
www.miergallery.com
Art
Gmunden.Photo
When you visit Gmunden today, you will find 29 shipping containers placed on the shores of the local lake. Shipping containers are the perfect metaphor for the global interconnectivity, as they are at the base of international trade, with thousands being shipped all across the globe on a daily basis. With the ongoing pandemic, we are not able to travel the world, making them the perfect reminder that we are part of a global community, which despite unfortunate circumstances and physical separation continues to exchange and grow together. In this case, the containers’ content is photographs taken by 23 different photographers, young and upcoming talents and internationally established stars alike. The containers currently house an exciting exhibition curated by the Swiss Beda Achermann, putting the Austrian photography scene into an international context. It bears witness to the role of the relatively new medium within the contemporary art scene and the constant innovation to be found within. Photography as a medium is changing; it’s becoming more and more of a hybrid, which finds itself paired with painting, sculpture and other forms of digital art, fortifying its place as a living and diverse artistic medium. The exhibition covers a large variety of different photographic styles, classics such as documentary and portrait photography, but also their new iterations by new generations of artists. It also witnesses its contemporary relevance, as we often perceive the present solely through images, whether it is the environmental destruction or the seduction of an aspirational life on the Internet. The exhibition features photographers from 8 different countries, not only showcasing their work but also displaying the power of images as a universal language to be understood and appreciated by people all across the world.
Gmunden.Photo will be open to the public until August 15th at the Seeviertel in Gmunden, Austria.
www.gmunden.photo
Credits:
Roe Ethridge – Untitles (Alexis Bittar)
Simon Lehner – Balance study with boy
Art
Gallery Weekend Berlin: Susan Philipsz at Konrad Fischer Galerie
Konrad Fischer Galerie is pleased presents Susan Philipsz’ first solo exhibition in Berlin. Susan Philipsz is a Scottish artist based in Berlin who works with spaces, narrative and sounds. In 2010 she won the Turner Prize which was the first time a sound work was nominated. She uses recordings of her own singing voice and to project this sound a space. Her voice is untrained and she leaves in breaths and imperfections to create a sense of intimacy. She has reworked songs varying from traditional folk music and sixteenth century ballads to songs by Nirvana and David Bowie. The themes she explores can trigger memory and emotions. While each piece is unique, she explores familiar themes of loss, longing, hope and return.“Whenever I enter a space that I am considering working with I call into the space to measure its acoustics. By projecting my voice into a space, I measure that space; through the resonance and echo I can ascertain the volume, scale and depth of that space. The gallery has a particularly resonant acoustic with lots of echoes and reverberations. The sounds from one level are audible on the other”, so Philipsz about the origins of her works Separated Silos (2021), and Slow Fresh Fount (2021) which lends its title to the exhibition.
Susan Philipsz’ work is exhibited at Konrad Fischer Galerie, Berlin, from 1 May – 17 July 2021.
www.gallery-weekend-berlin.de
Susan Philipsz, Slow Fresh Fount, 2021. Courtesy the artist and Konrad Fischer Galerie. Photo: Roman März
Art
Brussels Gallery Weekend presents ‘Candle Up!’
In collaboration with Quintessence Lab the Brussels Gallery Weekend presents the candle collection ‘Candle Up!’. All benefits go entirely to the non-profit organization Feed The Culture. The cultural initiative Feed The Culture gathers a group of volunteers that weekly get together to hand out free food parcels to people working in the cultural sector. Facing the Covid Crisis several actors, dancers and other creatives established Feed The Culture during the first lockdown with the objective to support their colleagues from the art world that had found themselves in precarious situations, due to the cultural sector being shut down entirely. The Brussels Gallery Weekend as a cultural organization that was still partially able to operate and plan events digitally corporates with Quintessence Lab to contribute to initiatives within the creative industry that, like Feed The Culture are in need. Together with artists Lionel Esteve, Sanam Khatibi and Pieter Vermeersch Quintessence Lab produced a collection of candles that are launched via Brussels Art Weekend. ‘Candle Up!’ is a sophisticated, creative line of candles with a story, designed from the creative professionals for professionals.
wwww.brusselsgalleryweekend.com
Art
ULAY: From Berlin to Paris
A new online exhibition curated by Hana Ostan Ožbolt for Saltoun Gallery focuses on the work of the late performance artist Ulay (1943-2020). The exhibition is titled ‘Ulay: From Berlin to Paris’ as part of the gallery’s series ‘Soultan Online’.
Two of the artist’s important works, ‘Relation in Movement’ (1977) and ‘Irritation - There is a Criminal Touch to Art’ (1976). The latter is regarded as one of the most outlandish art displayed in a public space in art history, in which the artist staged the ‘art theft’ of Carl Spitzweg’s painting ‘The Poor Poet’ from its home at the Neue Nationalgalerie and navigated its relocation to the living room of a family of immigrants.
‘Relation in Movement’ (1977), like other works in the ‘Relation’ series by Ulay and collaborator, Marina Abramovic, challenges the physical limits perceived by the mind and the body. These two iconic works of art by Ulay will be shown alongside exclusive video clips that translate how these radical actions still resonate and can be likened in a direct dialogue with current societal issues.
This exhibition by Saltoun Online is held in conjunction with Ulay’s critically acclaimed and largest-ever retrospective ‘ULAY WAS HERE’ at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.
The exhibition can be viewed online at the gallery’s website.
Marcel Dzama: 'The Moon is Following Me'
Tim Van Laere Gallery, Antwerp, will host Canadian born and New York-based artist Marcel Dzama’s first solo show; a celebration of the post-Trump era. Expressive and bursting with color, the show is titled ‘The Moon is Following Me’ drawing from folk-tales, art-history and displays contemporary flourishes. Dzama’s artworks honor childhood fantasies and the strength and resolve of the imagination.
With ballet costumes by Francis Picabia or Oskar Schlemmer to invite viewers into this dream-like world as well as more direct nods to the work of Francisco Goya, Joseph Beuys and Marcel Duchamp. Of his art, Dzama says “I usually either do political drawing or I go for this kind of vacation feeling. Almost idyllic. A lot of them are based on photographs taken of my son and wife on vacation.”
The artist is known for responding to current events through his art. Dzama has painted the late United States Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, over a watercolor impression of Donald Trump swinging a golf club. The canvas used for this work was simply a front page of the New York Times, in keeping with the contemporary and newsworthy nature of his subjects. In addition to this Marcel Dzama’s drawing of a tiny owl found inside the Rockefeller Centre Christmas Tree will be included in his solo exhibition at Tim Van Laere Gallery.
Stating that “because the Trump years were so traumatizing” that the series of artworks had to have more hopeful themes, in an effort to rekindle a collective sense of whimsy.
‘The Moon is Following Me’ will run from January 21st to March 6th at Tim Van Laere Gallery, Antwerp.
Quotes taken from an interview with Marcel Dzama by Manuela Martorelli, published in ZOO Magazine Issue #69.
www.timvanlaeregallery.com
Art
Ulay Was Here
The Stedelijk Museum consecrates the life and works of the late Ulay, with the artist’s largest ever retrospective to date. Born Frank Uwe Laysiepen, Ulay spent much of his career based in Amsterdam, and therefore it feels a fitting location for such a monumental exhibition. Composed of around two hundred works, the late artist who for many is associated with his former partner Marina Abramovi?, was a pioneer in his own right, transforming Polaroid photography, performance and body art with his forward thinking approach. Four themes dissect this retrospective: performance and performative aspects of photography; his research into gender identity using his body as a medium; social and political issues and lastly his relationship with the city of Amsterdam where he lived and world for forty years. Ulay Was Here is a powerful image of an artist who gave so much to the world, the arts and to contemporary discourse as we know it.
www.stedelijk.nl
Art
Cindy Sherman at the Fondation Louis Vuitton
The Fondation Louis Vuitton’s long awaited reopening has been scheduled for September 23rd, with a new, unprecedented exhibition, spotlighting the legendary career of Cindy Sherman. Reaching global acclaim through her iconic self-portraits, Sherman last held a solo show in 2006, making this exhibition all the more anticipated. Spanning her career from 1975 to 2020, the show is to include over 300 images selected from some of her most infamous series, such as Untitled film stills, Rear Screen Projections, Fashion, History Portraits, Disasters, Headshots, Clowns, Society Portraits, Murals, and Flappers. Sitting alongside these renowned works will be new images, set to characterize male figures and couples, venturing away from Sherman’s iconic presentation of the lone woman. The show is both a celebration and reflection of the sheer uniqueness of Sherman’s craft and her journey to becoming a household name both in and outside the art world. Complementary to the retrospective will be an exhibition entitled Crossing Views, a specially curated body of works carefully chosen with the input of the artist. Relating to Sherman’s extensive work around the portrait, two floors will be dedicated to an array of international artists, who working across various disciplines also work with portraits to excitingly different conclusions and effects. This close collaboration between Sherman and the Fondation promises to produce one of the most thorough presentations of Cindy Sherman’s work in Europe over the last decade.
www.fondationlouisvuitton.com
Image: Untitled #584 (2018) Courtesy of the Artist and Metro Pictures, New York © 2019 Cindy Sherman
Art
Jorinde Voigt: ‘Immersion’
Open Studio Berlin, members from the publishing house, Hatje Cantz and dozens of art lovers will gather tonight at the König Gallery to celebrate the launch of Jorinde Voigt’s new art book, ‘Immersion’. The book is a study of how intuition provides the framework for immersion, her nuances of text in an image with so much complexity in shape guides the eye and results in a better understanding of the art itself. In her new cycle of works, Immersion, artist Jorinde Voigt invigorates her on-going study of perception. Lena Kiessler of Hatje Cantz will be moderating the book release to properly celebrate the start of the eighth Berlin Art Week.
The book launch will take place across a number of countries but it will be honored in its vitality by a select few fine art institutions. The launch of ‘Immersion’ spans from Berlin to Houston Texas, where another release party will occur at Menil Drawing Institute. After teaching the art of conceptual drawing at Munich’s Academy of Fine Arts since 2014, Voigt felt it was only right that she pass on her refined understanding of shape and intuition. By Repeatedly feeling out her own thematic strengths, revisiting themes that reoccured in her art Voigt details and seemingly annotates her work for our benefit. When art captures our attention, holds our gaze, we often wonder what it was that really had that effect, with the launch of ‘Immersion’ this is exactly what Jorinde Voigt brings us closer to understanding
Art
Duran Lantink: 'Old Stock'
The top floors of Utrecht’s Centraal Museum are taken over by Dutch fashion designer Duran Lantink, to recycle, repurpose and reimagine discarded designer fabrics. The 31-year-old designer, named after the Panamanian boxer Roberto Durán, calls his exhibition ‘Old Stock’. The solo exhibition follows Duran Lantink’s aesthetic journey along a path he paved for himself between fashion and art. Where does this path lead? It leads toward a world that wastes nothing and celebrates everything.
Praised as being one of fashion’s best up and coming talents at this year’s London Fashion Week, Lantink a variety of garments, all of which have his vigorous craftsmanship about them. The Centraal Museum is making sure Lantink has all the room to breathe he needs, allowing him to take over the top floors to better display his versatility and imagination.
‘Old Stock’ is divided into thirds, photography, an installation called ‘Straight From the Sales Bin’ and lastly ‘Dismantled’. “Sistaaz of the Castle”, the photo series, was started by Lantink three years ago with Jan Hoek and a transsexual workers organization known as ‘Sistaazhood’. They shadowed transsexual sex workers as they flaunted proudly around Cape Town. ‘Straight From the Sales Bin’ is Lantink’s way of distancing himself from the chain of destruction that sees unsold clothes burned, discarded or shredded.
As for ‘Dismantled’, Duran Lantink’s freedom of expression is a beacon to designers and artists the world over. Centraal Museum has horded designer clothing, dresses they chose not to display, that served no real purpose other than gathering dust until Lantink intervened, these stagnant garments are now reanimated and born again for the world to see. Regardless of the whether you perceive Duran as the Freddy Krueger of fashion or the edgy prodigal son that Dutch fashion sorely needed, one thing remains certain, this never resting creative mind has nowhere to go but up.
www.centraalmuseum.nl
Art
Mike Meiré: North-West
Mike Meiré found the inspiration for his newest solo exhibition NORTH-WEST in today’s North America. Always perceived as a place of freedom and endless opportunity, the continent today has become a place of contradictions caught between reality and idealism, departure and exclusion, progress and fatality. With his work, the German artist, designer and art director addresses the romanticised ideas surrounding the American Dream whilst at the same time confirming their very failure, making NORTH-WEST a metaphorical search for updated notions of freedom and identity.
Alongside ceramics, the show will present paintings from Meiré’s ongoing series CAR TIRE PAINTINGS. Central to this series is its performative component, the tyre hoovers over the canvas before it is slammed down by the artist and the few seconds between control and loss of control which define the unique outcome of each work. The conscious choice of the standardized tyre signals towards the achievements of modern life and the purposeful and functional design of the globalised consumer world.
NORTH-WEST will be open to the public by appointment only from July 28, 2019 until September 6, 2019 at Von Bartha in S-chanf.
www.vonbartha.com
Art
Cindy Sherman at the National Portrait Gallery
Without any doubt, Cindy Sherman is one of the most influential artists in contemporary art, with a career spanning from the mid-‘70s to the present. In her photographs, she explores artistic manipulation of self-appearance and photography’s complex relationship between façade and identity, which, in the world of social media, seems more relevant than ever.
In an eponymous exhibition, comprising around 180 of her images, the National Portrait Gallery presents a major retrospective on Cindy Sherman’s career. Central to the exhibition is the critically acclaimed series, Untitled Film Stills, which is shown to the UK public for the first time. This series, realized between 1977 and 1980, is Cindy Sherman’s first artistic work, commenced shortly after her move to New York. In 70 images, whose overall flair is heavily inspired by the staged aesthetic of ‘50s and ‘60s Hollywood, as well as film noir and European art-house film, Sherman captures fictional situation, inspired by the conventions of yesterday’s cinema. Cindy Sherman truly was an image creator. She did not only assume the role as photographer, but also model, set designer and hair and makeup artist.
Through sharp observation, her work scrutinizes contemporary life and exposes it as a world of pure appearance, denouncing all its facades and deceptions.
The exhibition Cindy Sherman will be open to the public from 27 June to 15 September at the National Portrait Gallery in London.
www.npg.org.uk
Art
Holland Festival
Art is an essential and indispensable part of life. The value of art oftentimes exceeds creative expression and broadens our horizons by influencing and enriching our world view. Artists take a central role in today's society, crossing borders, collaborating worldwide across many disciplines and never shying away from sensitive subjects or deep messages.
The 72nd edition of the Holland Festival transforms the city of Amsterdam into an international cultural hub, celebrating the diversity of artists and their work all around the city. Perhaps more than before, a platform is provided to the artists, coming from Chile, Colombia, Germany and the United States among others, to bring pleasure to a broad audience, just as diverse as themselves. For the first time, this year a special focus is on associate artists, South African artist William Kentridge and Congolese Faustin Linyekula. Throughout the festival special prominence is given to their new works, exploring the inspiration, themes and ambitions.
The program includes a number of disciplines from the visual arts to theater and opera.
The Holland Festival, taking place all across Amsterdam, starts today and will last until June 23th.
www.hollandfestival.nl/
Art
About Future: Architecture, Cities, Environment. Models and Visions
With the creation of Armani/Silos, Giorgio Armani has continuously supported young creatives to realise their visions and ideas. After initiatives in the fields of fashion, cinema and photography, the focus has shifted towards architecture, deemed to be a crucial discipline in our reflections tackling pressing questions of sustainability and social equality in a rapidly changing world. In the run-up to Milano Arch Week 2019, the ‘About Future’ project is launched in collaboration with the School of Architecture, Urban Planning and Construction Engineering of the Polytechnic University of Milan. This exhibition features the work, in form of drawings and models, of around 50 of its brightest students, working on new ways and innovative visions to redefine the balance between the artificial and natural. The presented projects are a mixture of proposed modifications or extensions of existing features or the creation of
Art
Exhibition ‘Into the Light’
SR CONTERMPORARY ART Gallery opens its new exhibition for the Gallery Weekend in Berlin. The exhibition features the work of portrait and fashion photographer Tom Jacobi, who travelled two years over seven continents to capture archaic landscapes that are dominated by brightness.
Into the Light symbolises the striving towards light from out the darkness, in search for the meaning of life, gazing up towards the sun that fills with the brightest of all colors: white. White occupies a particular position in the spectrum of colors and has an essential influence and meaning in the exhibition and how the color is interpreted in different societies and cultures.
The exhibition will run from the 11th of April to the 20th of May at SR CONTEMPORARY ART.
Niebuhrstraße 11A, 10629 Berlin, Deutschland
www.srcontemporaryart.de
Art
Jimmy Nelson’s ‘Homage to Humanity’
Jimmy Nelson is part of a rare breed of photographers that throw themselves face-first into any environment they are shooting. The largest exhibition of Nelson’s work in the Netherlands will take place at the Museum Aan Het Vrijthof in Maastricht later this month.The English-Dutch photographer is known across the globe for his iconic books 'Before They Pass Away' (2013) and 'Homage to Humanity' (2018). Nelson sees emergent technologies and increased globalization as a threat to the preservation of the most vulnerable colonies within the human race. At the ethos of the exhibition are questions like “where do we originate from?”, “where are we going?” and “what is wealth?”. Questions so often neglected by more political minds, and so we are left looking to artists and photographers like Jimmy Nelson.
In addition to interactive 360 degree visualisations there will be an extensive alternative program specifically aimed at young people. This side program ensures the youth might truly see what is at stake, that they might care more for faraway places that is home to so many. The unique communities of Africa and Asia that appear in Nelson’s thirty-plus years of photography speak to a purity of Earthly existence that grows in rarity every day. With the core values of his photography in mind, the Jimmy Nelson Foundation seeks to generate a greater appreciation for cultural diversity and the urgency of unity.
‘Homage to Humanity’ will be held at Museum Aan Het Vrijthof from September 26th until March 15th 2020.
Art
Existenz
The Nussbaum Haus, built by architect Daniel Libeskind, dedicated to artist Felix Nussbaum in Osnabrück presents the spatial drawing “Existenz” of artist Brigitte Waldach. The installation gives the spirit of German-Jewish surrealist painter Felix Nussbaum an unexpected rebirth. His art gives an artistic insight into the life of one individual among the victims of the Holocaust. He was that individual itself who lived for a long time in fear of Nazi terror, a fear that has always characterized his work.
Waldach's spatial drawing embodies the center of existence in a distorted cube. With frightened excerpts and thoughts in the background coming from letters written by Felix Nussbaum.
The space expresses the "Raum für Gegenwart", which means the room of existence. Every wall illustrates a component of existence. On the wall of the "brain" the star of David is portrayed. This immediately recalls the gruesome persecutions, but for millennia this “star” has represented a spiritual unity. Waldach emphasizes this idea with white and black lines that merge and mirror the visible and invisible world of a fearful life. Through it weaves a red thread that reflects the lifeline of Nussbaum. A line that indicates how the fate of a young Jewish artist led to atrocious persecution.
This artwork is an ode to Nussbaum, but at the same time it is also an analysis of the life cycle. The individual circle of life is characterized by the endless creation and passing of different stages of activity. Between birth and death we experience situations of departure, separation, isolation, doubt and the constant presence of existential fear. The course of a life is a line of actions and reactions that an individual experiences.
The exhibition can be seen until November 10, 2019.
www.waldach.com
www.libeskind.com
Art
Ulay's Exhibition at Richard Saltoun, London
The very nature of Ulay’s art inadvertently resists all attempts at classification and defies categorisation. A self-proclaimed anarchist, Ulay’s work spans multiple platforms and offers a stark exploration of the dichotomy between the masculine and the feminine, exploring the fluidity of the self and the constant potential for transformation and experimentation with new identities. Ulay is one of our long-time favourite artists with whom we have previously had the incredible honour to work with on two separate projects.
From an early affection for the fleeting, transient and instantaneous process of the Polaroid to a traceable crossover in utilising the physical form through performance and body art, it is strikingly evident that the single common thread of Ulay’s work is awareness — in the obvious performative, physical sense of course but also in his social commentary.
Ulay’s unyielding lifetime commitment to dismantling and subverting the roots of complex themes of identity, particularly gender, by tackling the harmful human conflicts that arise from externally enforced notions of identity through his unprecedented format, are what have comfortably established his status as a true icon of polaroid photography and as the father of performance art.
From 11th January – 23 February 2019, the Richard Saltoun Gallery in London will host its first solo exhibition of Ulay’s work dating back to the 1970s and progressing right through to new works exhibited in public for the first time.
www.richardsaltoun.com
Art
Mystical Symbolism: The Salon de la Rose + Croix in Paris
Mysterious, mythical and visionary themes, often drawn from literature, will be presented by the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in an exhibition called “Magical Symbolism: The Salon de la Rose + Croix in Paris”. It’s the first museum exhibition showing the highlights of a series of Salons, which were annually held in Paris from 1892 to 1897. At these art gatherings, images of femmes fragiles and fatales, androgynous creatures, chimeras, incubi and sinuous lines, attenuated figures and anti-naturalistic forms were the norm. Including approximately forty works by a cross section of artists, the possibility to take a fresh look at the legacies of late nineteenth-century symbolist art is provided. The exhibition is taking place until January 7th 2018 at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice.
www.guggenheim-venice.it
Art
POWERMASK: Walter van Beirendonk at the Wereldmuseum
From the 1st of September 2017 until the 7th of January 2018, the ethnographic Wereldmuseum in Rotterdam will host POWERMASK, an exhibition curated by Antwerp fashion designer Walter van Beirendonck. The exhibition is a journey through the deeply symbolic, totemic and patrimonial world of masks, an often underrated accessory in contemporary fashion. Van Beirendonck has incorporated masks into his fashion collections since the 1990s, sourcing inspiration from André Breton, Pablo Picasso and Pieter Bruegel’s caricatural portraits.
The exhibition will examine links between Western art and African masks, the supernatural rituals surrounding masks, masks in fashion, masks as fetishes, and numerous other aspects. Van Beirendonck has styled the 125 masks, unpacked from the Wereldmuseum’s archive, with colorful costumes and fashion silhouettes. The backdrop of the exhibition is a delightful patchwork of wall installations by contemporary artists such as Brian Kenny, Coco Fronsac and Charles Fréger, macabre paintings of James Ensor, playful illustrations by Keith Haring, and designs by haute couture heavyweights Viktor & Rolf and Jean Paul Gaultier.
www.wereldmuseum.nl
Art
The Beats and The Vanities, Larry Fink Exhibition at Armani/SIlos
A collection of exquisite black and white photographs from Larry Fink’s The Beats and The Vanities books will comprise the latest exhibition at Armani/Silos. The exhibition presents a unique opportunity for the legendary photographer’s work and idiosyncratic vision to be experienced as one as they have never before been shown together before.
Giorgio Armani himself is a great fan of Larry Fink’s work, finding his ability to capture form and line in such a fluid way something he can relate to as well as a designer. “Fink is a jazz fan, and you can almost view these images in terms of musical composition – people in flow, surprising us, possessing an unconscious sensuality”, he adds.
Born in Brooklyn and raised in a progressive and politically active family, Fink cut his teeth as a photographer as part of the late beat generation, when he hooked up with a group of beats at the age of 17. Political activism, protests and marches formed the photographers worldview who documented the times through his medium-format camera.
His pictures serve as a time capsule and a candid look into his world, perfectly capturing the sense of romance and rebellion that characterised the underground jazz-fuelled youth movement of the time. A regular editorial contributor for prestigious titles such as The New Yorker and Vanity Fair, it was the latter that recognised his ability to bring them something different if let loose to create.
His visual record of the famous and their surrounding courtiers is not concerned with who’s who – rather it focuses on what’s happening. As Fink himself describes it, he tries to embrace the souls of all people, regardless of their conditions.
The Beats and The Vanities, Photographs by Larry Fink will be on show at the Armani/Silos until the end of July 2017.
www.armanisilos.com
