Art MoCo: April 2008 Archives

cover* versions - Day 3
Posted by sabine7

Exhibition | Apr 30, 2008

More from the Wallpaper* exhibition. Today's covers are from Design Barcode (above), Marcus Palmqvist with Hussein Chalayan, and Ian Davenport.

"To mark our retail issue, we called upon Design Barcode, a Japanese design collective who have revolutionised the humble barcode. The group offered us a selection of 40 designs to choose from. ‘We came up with the idea to design Wallpaper’s barcode with a global feel, using shapes of buildings from all over the world,’ says creative director Minoru Yoshida.

One of the most technically challenging covers in Wallpaper* history was the lenticular image of Hussein Chalayan’s mechanical dress shot by Marcus Palmqvist. Never one to use technology gratuitously, this technique reconciled the issues of how to aptly communicate the extraordinary qualities of Chalayan’s wondrous yet wearable creation.

Known for his technique of using paint-filled syringes and gravity, Ian Davenport used the graphic number 10 we supplied as a relief, adding his ‘chance paint incidents’ of drips and unpredictable lines of colour. ‘My work is about the organic nature of materials. I’m interested in the mechanical aspect and the contrast between control and random effects.’"

Artists: Design Barcode (above), Marcus Palmqvist with Hussein Chalayan, and Ian Davenport
+ wallpaper.com

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cover* versions - Day 2
Posted by sabine7

Exhibition | Apr 29, 2008

Today's covers come from Richard Patterson, Yuri Masnyj and Zaha Hadid.

"In addition to the pop culture references and Texan overtones, Dallas-based British painter Richard Patterson created a cover piece that also reflected his passion for architecture. ‘The interior was an idealised space I devised which reflected the sensual pleasure and shortcomings I felt were within modernism.’

American artist (and Whitney Biennial alumnus) Yuri Masnyj strikes the perfect balance between detail and abstraction. ‘By combining architectural, geometric and graphic forms and gestural mark making, I hoped to conjure up a feeling of anxiety. Something akin to standing below a big rock, teetering on a fragile edge.’

The design Zaha Hadid created was sketched freehand, then redrawn in Adobe Illustrator. ‘Sketching formed a critical part of my early career, and it continues to allow us our radical approach to architecture. The fluidity of the cover design embodies this exploration of complex curvelinearity, seamlessness and the smooth transition between elements.’"

Artists: Richard Patterson, Yuri Masnyj and Zaha Hadid
+ wallpaper.com

cover* versions - Day 1
Posted by sabine7

Exhibition | Apr 28, 2008

Wallpaper* magazine’s tenth anniversary celebrations in 2006 sparked the beginning of a series of covers created by the biggest names in art, design and architecture. This limited edition series made for a terrific exhibition in Milan’s Zona Tortona during this year’s Design Week. This week at Art MoCo we will be sharing all the covers that we saw.

Today we open with Michelangelo Pistoletto’s Reinstated Apple. " ‘The bite from the apple represents the disconnection of human creativity from the natural sphere,’ says Pistoletto. ‘In my apple, artifice is reintegrated within nature.’ The work expresses Pistoletto’s concept of the Third Paradise, where reconciliation between the artificial and natural worlds takes place as a crucial factor for human survival."
Also after the jump is Marian Bantjes Wishing You All the Best in the Future.
"Bantjes’ intricate linework is reminiscent of medieval manuscripts, yet the cover she created for us was filled with futurism and humour. ‘It has rockets and sputniks blasting out from the centre, with 16 spokes containing quirky, but hopeful wishes for the future.’"

Artists: Michelangelo Pistoletto and Marian Bantjes
+ wallpaper.com

Shortcomings
Posted by sabine7

Books | Apr 27, 2008

Shortcomings is a graphic novel by Adrian Tomine that explores race and relationships in the San Francisco area. Ben is an Asian-American movie-house slacker whose girlfriend, Miko, is much more of an activist. Ben has to deal with the disintegration of this relationship while handling his own shortcomings. His best friend is a lesbian named Alice who provides sharp banter. Told in three chapters, Ben’s story is terrifically illustrated. The artwork keeps the pages turning.

Hardcover, 104 pages. Drawn & Quarterly, 2007. $13.57 at Amazon.

+ Shortcomings at Amazon

Art MoCo Meta
Posted by sabine7

Meta | Apr 26, 2008

Great illustrations and collage by Christian Northeast via Design Taxi, but check out paintings and blog, too.

Work from the Intervention series by William Lamson at i heart photograph.

"Everyday Scenarios"
Posted by sabine7

Ceramics | Apr 25, 2008

Louise Hindsgavl’s white porcelain figurines (seen here at the Mindcraft exhibition at Zona Tortona in Milan) could seem to be typical at first glance, but it does not take long until the viewer realizes that the uncomfortable feeling that is creeping over is there for good reason. Hindsgavl’s work depicts creatures that have distorted human bodies and heads of animals, out of proportion. They are shown committing a variety of unusual acts: handling mirrors or ripping the heads off other smaller yet similar beasts. Is one saving others that are falling, or yanking them out of a hiding place? At first one wants to turn away, but is slowly overcome by a need to know more.

Artist: Louise Hindsgavl
+ louisehindsgavl.dk

Celia Suzanne Sluijter for ICE by Femke Goossens
Posted by sabine7

Exhibition | Apr 24, 2008

A collection of rugs inspired by a poem about the Netherlands was the subject of a soothing exhibition in Milan’s Zona Tortona last week. Rugs by Celia Suzanne Sluijter for ICE by Femke Goossens were representations of the low country’s landscape, weather and seas. The land was there, as were the leaves in the trees, the waves of the sea and the crystals of ice that form in the winter. The colours were soft and the scenes brought to life the words of Dutch poet Hendrik Marsman.

Artist: Celia Suzanne Sluijter
+ rugs.nl

Royal Tichelaar Makkum: Pyramids of Makkum
Posted by sabine7

Ceramics | Apr 23, 2008

Royal Tichelaar Makkum, the oldest company in the Netherlands, is a ceramics firm that recently completed an amazing project that involved contemporary riffs on a 17th century flower pyramid. The present-day pyramids were part of an exhibit in Milan during Design Week 2008. Jurgen Bey, Hella Jongerius, Alexander van Slobbe and Studio Job were commissioned to create 21st century pyramids and the results of these limited edition ceramics are spectacular (as are the prices). The pyramids are incredibly detailed and each shows a different personality. Shown above is detail from the work by Jurgen Bey, which also included a wooden armoire filled with smaller ceramic pieces. Studio Job was easy to recognize, Hella Jongerius created a hanging pyramid and the Alexander van Slobbe had a softness to it.

Artists: Jurgen Bey, Hella Jongerius, Alexander van Slobbe and Studio Job
+ tichelaar.nl

"Pearls"
Posted by sabine7

Painting | Apr 22, 2008

Richard Moon’s portraits are creepily disturbing, as though the sitters have no idea the results will be such as they are. Features are exaggerated and colours distorted, yet the subjects gaze in pleasure at the thought of being immortalized. There is a soft focus to further add to the odd aspects of these portraits. One does not know whether to laugh at the homely side of these beauties, or to feel sorry for them. After all, they do look awfully cheerful.

Artist: Richard Moon
+ markmooregallery.com

"Head Under Heels"
Posted by sabine7

Painting | Apr 21, 2008

Viewing Richard Moon’s oil paintings is like looking at photos that have been transformed by time and brushstrokes. The old-fashioned children pictured in Head Under Heels almost appear to be in what one might consider a dream, although there is something about the little boy that shows he feels the weight of the little girl on his head. The girl with buck teeth lets her yells echo through the tunnel, as the children put on their gas masks at school. The three images could almost be part of the same dream.

Artist: Richard Moon
+ richard-moon.co.uk

Things I have learned in my life so far
Posted by sabine7

Books | Apr 20, 2008

Things I have learned in my life so far by Stefan Sagmeister started as a list in his diary and then developed into a series of installations and projects that publicly exhibited these ideas. The “things” are simple ideas that are based on good old-fashioned common sense and experience, but at the same time, are concepts we are likely to forget or overlook. Some statements include “Worrying solves nothing” and “Trying to look good limits my life.” Obvious? Sure, but we all need reminders and this book is full of eye candy to help absorb the message. The format of this book is unusual in that is comprised of a series of booklets in a slipcase. Interchangeable covers included.

Paperback, 248 pages. Abrams, 2008. $26.40 at Amazon.

+ Things I have learned in my life so far at Amazon