Ty Williams’ seascapes, reminiscent of his East Coast upbringing, mix sketches, brush stoke and vintage photographs into little vignettes that just feel like summer. Some of my favorite pieces are his collages, bits of nautical whimsy that are completely relatable with a sunny optimistic outlook, that these days is nothing short of priceless.
For the SF Moma’s 75th anniversary retrospective Barry McGee reinstalls a piece acquired in 1996 from the museum’s permanent collection. Though McGee says he likes idea of art that is impermanent, that is created and destroyed, the unearthing of this work constructs an entirely new context. Installing the 300 frames over a giant bulge in the wall it seems as if the building has just taken a breath; the result is organic, fresh and entirely alive.
Opening May 14 www.sfmoma.org//
In June, 2008, the last pack of Polaroid film was manufactured; the conveyor belt ground to a halt and instant film was shelved, written off as a defunct medium. But the beauty of instant film was not lost on everyone, it was rediscovered in creative communities who viewed each Polaroid as an individual experiment, tiny photographic originals that captured a world overlooked by the slick perfection of digital images. No other film was able to compete with the tangibility of holding the frame, the anticipation as it developed or the perfectly imperfect imagery. Taking on the enormous task of saving instant film, the Impossible Project has reached their goal this month releasing the new monochrome Instant Film – the PX 100 and PX 600 Silver Shade compatible with all Polaroid cameras.
Available online here. Color film to be released Summer 2010.
Matt Lipps’ past work tackles sexuality, fantasy and identity explored through photographic collage. For this project he takes on something equally intimate, our sense of place. In his Home Series, cozy images of architectural interiors, made even more inviting by colorful overlays, are invaded by monumental landscape elements destroying any sense of peace or belonging. These images question the domestic space, complacency and our attachment to the familiar.
Rei Kawakubo never gets pulled into fashion’s orbit; instead she has just enough perspective to translate her subtle observations into Come des Garcons. For the Spring 2010 Shirt Campaign she enlisted artist Stephen Shanabrook to do a piece from his “Paper Surgery” series. Shanabrook deconstructs the image using tiny folds, deforming and destroying its surface. Reminiscent of Jenny Saville’s brutally beautiful images, his alterations add dimension and a startling authenticity in a realm where those qualities are normally void. Brilliant.
News just broke that Jeffery Deitch was named the new Director of MOCA Los Angeles and we couldn’t be more excited. Does this mean his stable of artists plus the entourage that comes with it? If what he brings to Art Basel is an indicator we can expect him to explode any preconceived notion of what constitutes a museum show. Instead expect blow out parties with appearances by the likes of Fischerspooner, Santigold, Coco Rosie and the Voluptuous Horrors of Karen Black. Don’t be surprised if his team of street artists covers the surrounding area with their signature tags or if an art parade spills out into the street. Our thoughts? This is just what LA needs and we can’t wait to watch it unfold.
Tom Ford’s first film, A Single Man, is so visually stunning the plot is almost lost to the richness of the detail. Each scene was meticulously crafted, each vignette so intensely pristine that you wonder if the world through Ford’s eyes could somehow be this acute. Perfectly crisp white shirts, glamorous crumbling women, stunning interiors and impossibly beautiful boys, carry this film on the captivating perfection of this world even as the characters deteriorate inside of it. See more here.
If this year’s Art Basel Miami Beach is a predictor for 2010 there is cause to celebrate. The parties returned, the attendance for the fairs was up and by Sunday there were red dots everywhere. Here are some of our highlights, from pop-up shops to blow out parties to performance pieces to emerging talent it all culminated in a whirlwind weekend. We can’t wait for next year.
As everything wound down Sunday night we walked to the beach for Karmelo Bermejo’s The Grand Finale in a 30 second fireworks display the word RECESSSION exploded on the beach, was briefly left illuminated, then twinkled out. Much like the weekend itself, the work was a much needed break from the gloom of the economic situation leaving us hopeful that this marks the beginning of the end.
