art – Page 2 – DesignApplause

the best of design miami 2015 #1.

Dec 3, 2015

as the market for collectible design continues to evolve and mature with each edition, design miami/ celebrates the full diversity of its field. with the 11th edition of design miami/ this december, the fair offers extraordinary works from galleries based on five continents that specialize in everything from classic early twentieth century design to the conceptual cutting edge. work ranging from full-sized architectural elements to the most delicate jewelry, by designers from as far afield as the philippines and japan, south africa and brazil, will be on show under one roof at the global forum for design.

above > unbuilt installation | click on image to engage lightbox | 4 images

[ unbuilt ] a key installation to the event now held in the design miami/ tent across the street from art basel is the annual commission of an entry installation. previous years include architects david adjaye and snarkitecture, and most recently designer in 2014, jonathan muecke.

for the 11th edition in 2015, design miami/ has awarded a harvard graduate school of design student team the entry-pavilion commission. the chosen design, titled unbuilt, was selected last may through a gsd-wide competition that drew 32 teams comprising 100 gsd students.

this collaboration marks the first time that the design miami/ pavilion will be designed by a student group. the completed pavilion will stand at the entrance of the fair for its duration from 2 > 6 december, serving as both a beacon for the show and a place to welcome its tens of thousands of visitors.

“it is a privilege to partner with harvard gsd, one of the most amazing sources of creative thinking in the world of design,” says craig robins, design miami’s founder. “we are excited to see the students’ vision realized at design miami—a platform that has always been committed to presenting the work of emerging talent alongside material by established and historic designers.”

the unbuilt team comprises joanne cheung, jenny shen, steven meyer, doug harsevoort, and yiliu shen-burke (all march ’18). the team is advised by luis callejas, lecturer in architecture and landscape architecture; hanif kara, professor in practice of architectural technology; and dan borelli (mdes ’12), director of exhibitions.

[ galleries ]

above> there are 36 galleries this year. here are several we follow | click on images to enlarge lightbox | 18 images
[ market ] the inaugural design miami/ market brings a new kind of product to the fair, with a fresh approach to retail offered by j.crew, lizworks, dean & deluca and artbook. this first edition is designed and produced by local designer emmett moore to remind visitors of an outdoor market with hints of south beach permeating the kiosks, made with whitewashed wood and blue vinyl strapping reminiscent of beach loungers.

[ satellite venues ]

[ untitled, miami beach ] the 4th edition of untitled international art fair continues its dedication to providing an innovative approach to the art fair mode. artists are at the center of unititled’s mission and the curators christophe boutin and melanie scarciglia have worked with the fair’s artistic director omar lópez-chahoud to identify a strong and diverse selection of galleries (119) and artists that reflect the fair’s commitment to presenting exceptional contemporary art | ocean drive and 12th street

[ belong.here.now by airbnb ] created by design with company, this 5,000 square foot open space will harness the power of place and time to deliver moments of belonging for all those willing to engage. acting as a piece of urban theater, the space will invite guests to become part of the evolving performance. for example, on saturday 5 december from 14:00 on, cultural curator kim hastreiter will invite members of pink martini and the public for a sing-along | meridian ave. & 19th street (across the street from the entrance to design miami/)

site-specific poolside painting by katherine bernhardt at [ nautilus hotel ] 1950s morris lapidus designed, south beach hot spot nautilus hotel just reopened. new owner sixty hotels, ceo jason pomeranc led an in-house design team in the restoration. this year artsy commissioned artist katherine bernhardt to create an original pool painting for the hotel, continuing a tradition set by david hockney, keith haring and pablo picasso | nautilus 1825 collins avenue

[ snarkitecture ] collaborated with netjets to customize a bombardier jets global 5000 with an ombre design for art basel. it will be staged at the landmark aviation private jet terminal in miami international airport.

ritsue mishima with installation ‘all’ombra della luce’ – ‘shadow of light’ / champagne house [ perrier-jouët ] traditional collaborations with designers or artists continue with a partnership with venice-based glass artist ritsue mishima. mishima creates a glass installation and a series of unique ice buckets for champagne bottles.

the installation is made of 1.400 handmade round glass plates. each of the five large blown ice bowls come with embedded round glasses for champagne, but also with traditionally-shaped, blown champagne glasses, all in mishima’s signature style of working with transparent glass and asymmetrical forms. the pieces represent bubbles of champagne in both the installation and the glasses.

[ moma design store ] the museum of modern art (moma) design store is excited to announce its first-ever installation and pop-up during the week of art basel miami beach with the skateroom at delano south beach, a morgans hotel celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. featured, a limited edition set of 32 decks each featuring a different flavor soup from andy warhol’s 32 campbell’s soup cans | delano south beach 1685 collins avenue

[ fendi ] opens its 5,400 square foot location in the design district. exposed brick walls and cement floors add a raw element to the store’s design in deliberate contrast with the opulence of textured design. the color-blocked façade and east exterior, a collaboration with designer and architect johanna grawunder, touts the brand’s commitment to the design world. the store will house the breadth of fendi’s products including men’s and women’s rtw, fur, handbags, shoes and accessories | 150 ne 40th street

@designmiami #designmiami

designer gifts 2015. chisel & mouse.

Nov 11, 2015

brothers robert and gavin paisley, at [ chisel & mouse ] bring their passion for beautiful buildings to life. their mission is to bring great architecture into your living room.

from hobbyists to architectural sculptors they take their inspiration from the built environment that surrounds them; there are some buildings that speak through their beauty, they reflect this beauty in their artistic representations.

the sculptures are made of plaster which gives them a reassuring weight and a smooth, cool feel. most feature fine details, such as window frames, etched in metal.

chisel & mouse, victoria cottage, dodds bank, nutley, east sussex, tn22 3lr, united kingdom

london cityscape framed 1:5000 // a 3d map of the city of london at 1:5000. a single resin tile measuring 30x30cm encapsulated in a beautiful perspex frame. the model can wall hang or be displayed on a desk or table top.

bauhaus dessau // the bauhaus dessau was designed by walter gropius in 1925 to house the bauhaus design school. the building bares many similarities to his critically acclaimed fagus factory. the school was responsible for launching the modern movement and shaped much of the architecture of the 20th century.

the bauhaus dessau with its strong lines and simple form is an outstanding example of modernist architecture.

battersea power station // battersea power station, built in 1933, has been crumbling away since shutting down over 20 years ago. despite its dilapidation the building remains an iconic landmark with its instantly recognisable chimneys. this building is a true london landmark and worthy of the term ‘iconic’.

our architectural sculpture of battersea power station’s northern chimneys is striking. it displays the beauty and function that sir giles gilbert scott was so famous for and is the perfect example of mantelpiece art.

each of our architectural sculptures is handmade in our studio in sussex, england. they are made of strong plaster that has a reassuring weight and smooth, cool feel. stylish ornaments, gifts or presents that are handmade in britain and look fabulous on a desk, shelf or wall.

address: battersea power station, 188 kirtling street, london, sw8 5bp, england.

lescaze house // in 1933-34 william lescaze, the revered modernist architect, designed and built his own house in manhattan. claimed to be new york’s first modernist house, it stands out from its row of brownstones due to its striking design. white concrete, glass bricks, an absence of ornamentation and its use of strong geometric forms make this house unique.

lescaze approach to architecture can be seen in every facet of the building. from the external design to the internal layout, his focus on function and practical living are evident.

chisel & mouse have produced a stunning sculpture of the front facade, paying a fitting homage to one of new york’s most desirable residences.

address: 211 east 48th street new york, united states

moma design store and delano skateroom partner during art basel miami beach.

Nov 10, 2015

limited edition set of 32 decks each featuring a different flavor soup from andy warhol’s 32 campbell’s soup cans / photo courtesy of the skateroom and ©/®/tm the andy warhol foundation for the visual arts, inc.

the museum of modern art (moma) design store is excited to announce its first-ever installation and pop-up during the week of art basel miami beach with the skateroom at delano south beach, a morgans hotel celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. located just a few blocks from the main art basel tent, the delano will unveil an immersive installation and pop-up shop throughout the iconic property with the exclusive limited edition series of 32 unique decks featuring andy warhol’s 32 campbell’s soup cans, a set of 8 decks with the pop icon colored campbell’s soup cans, and triptychs with gold marilyn monroe, guns, car crash, self portrait and detail of the last supper. the featured warhol artwork made in collaboration with the andy warhol foundation for the visual arts.

the skate decks will be displayed at the delano from 30 november to 6 december and available for purchase in limited qualities. to celebrate the launch, delano will host a private party for the moma design store and the skateroom installation and pop-up shop the evening of wednesday, 2 december, 8 > 11pm.

antonio o’connell + pepsi + liter of light. design week mexico 2015.

Oct 21, 2015

Mexico City hosts Design Week Mexico. One of the exhibitions is called ‘Light in the Darkness’- where Mexican artist Antonio O’Connell contemplates the idea of living without light. He has partnered with Pepsi and Liter of Light to bring “Ignite the Light” – a program that fuses art, philanthropy and social commentary and action.

Pepsi, through their Pepsi Challenge, a worldwide initiative bringing attention to communities that lack access to electricity and basic lighting solutions. Liter of Light, using empty recycled plastic bottles, innovative designs and simple circuitry, builds solar lights for day and night with zero carbon emissions.

“Light in the Darkness” is a a large scale, mixed media art installation that mirrors Liter of Light’s core work, the use of recycled plastic bottles to transform colors and lights in unexpected ways, illuminating an otherwise ordinary space and shedding light on the millions of people who live without it on a daily basis.

We talk to the artist.

[DesignApplause] Antonio, please tell us about the concept behind ‘Light in the Darkness’.
[Antonio O’Connell] We live in a world of great social contrasts where imagination is a luxury for some but a necessity for others. Many of us take for granted that we open a faucet and we have running water or turn a switch and have light. I thought of the idea of living without light and remembered a quote by Gaston Bachelard in his book “Poetics of Space”: “The house we were born in is more than an embodiment of home, it is also an embodiment of dreams”.

So “Light in the Darkness”” alludes to the ephemeral construction of “favelas” and shanty towns but with a vision of hope when light is provided to homes with Pepsi® PET bottles by the “Liter of Light” Foundation. Light transforms a dark place into a place of fantasy where new forms and colors are possible and the hope to dream farther.

[DA] What has this particular project taught you?
[AO] I wasn’t aware of the “Liter of Light” foundation and their simple but innovative way to bring light into communities that have none. By participating in this Pepsi® global initiative I was inspired by the wonderful job their doing and felt motivated to be a part of it.

[DA] You’re both an architect and an artist. Tell us what each discipline means to you and how they play off the other for you.
[AO] For me it’s hard to tell them apart because I see my work as it is. I guess it depends on the context you view the work it can be experimental Architecture or Installation Art. You can think its Art but then again isn’t Architecture a form of Art? I left my “conventional” architectural work since 2006 and began to focus on more conceptual and/or experimental work.

[DA] What’s the process of concept to the finished piece in your Architecture or Art? Do you use the computer or old school methods?
[AO] The concept is always embedded in the finished piece, even during the process, which is usually hand crafted from sketching to modeling to building. I don’t use computers because my work is very intuitive and hands on, besides it alludes to the self building in marginalized communities as well as the hand craft of the traditional construction workers in Mexico.

[DA] Who has inspired and influenced you in both Architecture and Art?
[[AO] Influence and inspiration comes from everywhere not just Architecture and Art, but to name a few, in Architecture it has been Enric Miralles which I had the chance to meet and study a small course, the Deconstructive movement as well as the Russian Constructivists, Vladimir Tatlin, Peter Eisenman, Archigram, Lebbeus Woods, Thom Mayne, Rem Koolhaas, Coop Himmelblau, Samuel Mockbee, Hundertwasser, Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano, the Mexican architects Luis Barragán and Juan O’Gorman. In Art there are many as well but usually artists trained as architects or their work related to Architecture: Gordon Matta-Clark, Kurt Schwitters, Situationist International, Bauhaus, Tadashi Kawamata, Ai Wei Wei, Richard Serra, Joseph Beuys, Francis Alÿs, González Gortázar, Mathias Goeritz, the Mexican Muralist Movement, Gabriel Orozco, to name a few.

[DA] Design Week Mexico goes back to 2009. Have you been involved with this event before? Can you tell us about the evolution over the past seven years and how the city and world responds to a design week?
[AO] This is the first time that I’ve been involved with Design Week Mexico. I don’t really know about the evolution of Design Week Mexico during these years, I just know it has grown a lot. People are more aware about design and interested to see what’s being done. This makes it a great opportunity to present this project with Pepsi® that blends design, art and architecture with a social cause benefit program.

[DA] What other architecture & design events have been able to attend?
[AO] I was invited to a work for Kartell Loves Mexico design event.

[DA] Anything else you wish to say that we haven’t talked about?
[AO] I am very happy to take part in such an important initiative like Pepsi Challenge and be able to support the efforts of “Liter of Light” to bring attention to important matters like access to basic services for those in need.

design miami/ 2015 celebrates the diversity of design.

Oct 21, 2015

As the market for collectible design continues to evolve and mature with each edition, Design Miami/ celebrates the full diversity of its field. With the 11th edition of Design Miami/ this December, the fair offers extraordinary works from galleries based on five continents that specialize in everything from classic early twentieth century design to the conceptual cutting edge. Work ranging from full-sized architectural elements to the most delicate jewelry, by designers from as far afield as the Philippines and Japan, South Africa and Brazil, will be on show under one roof at the global forum for design.

There’s a story behind every piece of great design/.

[ latin spirit/ ]

cangaço – bookstand/ fernando and humberto campana, 2015/ courtesy of campana studio and fernando laszlo/

Firma Casa, the first participating gallery from Brazil (São Paulo), offering a program that is notably strong in design from Latin America. The distinctive and innovative work of the Campana Brothers – Design Miami/ Designers of the Year in 2008 – are represented at both Firma Casa and Friedman Benda. A rare jacaranda wood bench by Modernist pioneer Joaquim Tenreiro is showing at R & Company. Cristina Grajales Gallery exhibits a spectacular coffee table by Gloria Cortina topped with golden obsidian, a naturally occurring volcanic glass. ADN Galeria of Mexico participates in the Design Curio program with a project by the Mexico-based sculptor and furniture designer Eduardo Olbés.

[ design reborn/ ]

pair of lamps from villa arreaza, caracas/ gio ponti, 1954/ courtesy of casati gallery/

The scholarship, research and the preservation of historic works that are so important to the world of collectible design are aspects that are perhaps less visible to visitors to Design Miami/. A number of exhibitions at this year’s fair will put the spotlight on projects honoring design history. Galleria Rossella Colombari will recreate an interior in the style of Villa Planchart in Caracas designed by Giò Ponti, using colors and materials dear to the architect. Another apartment – this one from Milan, designed by Ponti’s protegé architect Attilio Colonello – will be recreated from historic drawings and photographs by Casati Gallery, in a scenography that will include a number of pieces from the original scheme.

[ personal connections/ ]

dining table for madeleine and jean prouvé/ pierre jeanneret, 1943/ marie clérin for laffanour – galerie downtown/

There’s a story behind every piece of great design, often one that reflects personal relationships, whether between a group of like-minded creative souls, friends and mentors, hard working duos, romantic partners, or siblings. One compelling personal connection central to the history of modern design is evoked in a piece presented this year by LAFFANOUR – Galerie Downtown: a table given to Jean Prouvé by Pierre Jeanneret in 1943, and which remained in use by Prouvé’s family at his house in Nancy, France. Family relationships are evoked in pieces by Xander Kriel, who created his Vos Altar in memory of his grandfather for Southern Guild, and by Wharton Esherick, who’s graceful sculptural form The Actress (1938/9), presented by Moderne Gallery, was inspired by his daughter Mary. Thomas Fritsch will present works by Verá Szekely, co-founder, with André Borderie and her husband Pierre Szekeley, of Borderie Szekeley, a trio that created work together until 1957.

[ monumental design/ ]

enignum xvi/ joseph walsh, 2015/ courtesy of the designer and sarah myerscough gallery/ photographer: andrew bradley

Large-scale design and architectural components continue to be a keenly anticipated highlight of the Design Miami/ program. Galerie Patrick Seguin will once again be sharing a work of pioneering mid-century modular architecture, in this case the only remaining example of Jean Prouvé’s 1939 baraque de campagne, a rapidly assembled 4 x 4m military hut. At Galerie Philippe Gravier, Kengo Kuma will present a small nomadic tearoom constructed from simple lightweight plastic materials and inspired by the humble, reclusive dwelling of the writer Kamo no Chōmei. Substantial works in wood by Wendell Castle will be on show at Friedman Benda, R & Company and Carpenters Workshop Gallery, in celebration of the American art-furniture pioneer’s equally monumental career. At Sarah Myerscough Gallery, a new generation of designers creating large, finely-crafted works in wood will be represented by Joseph Walsh. From a lighter perspective, first time gallery Orley Shabahang presents the durable, finely crafted silk rugs created by Haji Jalili in the late 19th century represent a highly portable form of monumental design. On the opposite side of the spectrum is the continuation of Naihan Li’s I Am A Monument series at Beijing-based Gallery ALL, which shrinks monumental architectural structures into playful functional pieces for the home.

[ simulacra/ ]

cardboard crown necklace/ david bielander, 2015/ courtesy of dirk eisel/

Playful and sometimes pointed references to familiar everyday objects infuse certain exhibitions at Design Miami/ with visual wit. Juxtaposing precious materials and functionality, Siegfried De Buck’s silver Praline Box (1993) is the ultimate vessel for Belgium’s prized chocolate confections, showing at Caroline Van Hoek. Fellow gold and silversmith David Bielander’s thin metal jewelry pieces at Ornamentum reference the simple cardboard crowns of childhood role-play. Another familiar childhood form – in this case a paper airplane – receives a nod in Karen Chekerdjian’s IQAR table for Carwan Gallery. Eric Serritella’s series of ceramic vessels crafted to resemble sections of weathered wood will receive its most ambitious addition yet in a new, larger, work inspired by the branches and bark of a birch tree can be viewed at Jason Jacques Inc. Wolfs + Jung’s ongoing Nature V2.01 explores the disconcerting contrast of apparently natural surfaces and manmade forms: ammann// gallery will be showing new works from the series including a teetering stool balancing on sticks cast in bronze and a rounded bronze vessel apparently clad in bark.

[ earthly matter/ ]

bodypart iii/ kristina riska, 2015/ courtesy of hostler burrows/

Echoing the burgeoning interest in clay as a sculptural medium over recent years, decorative ceramics remain a strong area of creative innovation at Design Miami/. The Finnish ceramicist Kristina Riska will show Bodypart III, a sculptural vessel of vast proportions and organic curvature at Hostler Burrows. Lee Hun Chung contrasts the glassy finish of ceramic glaze with the rough, stone-like surface of concrete in a low table at Seomi International. Patrick Parrish Gallery will show the first ceramic works of painter Guy Correiro.

[ sacred geometry/ ]

zig-zag chair/ gerrit thomas rietveld, 1934/ courtesy of galerie vivid

Geometric shapes occur both by natural and man-made design, the former often inspiring the latter. Ralph Bakker’s jewelry designs, coming to the fair with Antonella Villanova, are based on naturally occurring geometric patterns found in nature. Galerie VIVID presents geometry that changed the face of design in post World War I Europe in the form of Gerrit Thomas Rietveld’s Zig-Zag Chair. Brian Thoreen’s work, appearing at Patrick Parrish Gallery, demonstrates his passion for geometric forms that evolve from nature.

[ transparent and luminescent/ ]

light pods/ terrence main, 2015/ courtesy of magen h/

The technical challenges and diverse effects afforded by glass continue to inspire forms both ethereal and unexpected. At Galerie kreo Julie Richoz shows new works created with glass blowers at Marseilles’s legendary CIRVA (Centre International de Recherce sur le Verre et les Arts plastique). Kyoto-born designer Ritsue Mishima – represented by Pierre Marie Giraud – moved to Venice in 1989 to work alongside the city’s fabled glassblowers, deviating from Venetian tradition to create un-pigmented works. Commonplace Studio’s Lumière series marries blown glass to contemporary technology, illuminating each globe with projections of moving images in a ghostly tribute to the early days of cinema at Victor Hunt Designart Dealer. Terence Main’s branchlike Light Pods set budlike glass elements at the tips of cast aluminum twigs to create a ‘growing’ chandelier at Magen H. Gallery.

[ hard steel, soft leather/ ]

wave bench/ maria pergay, 1968/ courtesy of demisch danant/

The contrast of cold, hard metal with hide is one addressed in a multiplicity of ways at Design Miami/. The unyielding, cool lines of Maria Pergay’s stainless steel furnishings find soft contrast in their leather and hide upholstery. Alberto Biagetti and Laura Baldassari make a more playful juxtaposition in the Body Building collection at Secondome, an ‘anti gym’ that takes formal inspiration from metal workout equipment, undercutting the hard edge with soft pink upholstery. Nanda Vigo’s fur is of the faux variety: at Erastudio Apartment-Gallery synthetic leopard skin covers her hybrid brass forms from 1971 that perform both as coat racks and lighting elements. The classic combination of hard steel face and soft leather straps appears in a number of the vintage watches with extraordinary provenance at the fair’s first watch gallery Le Collection’Heure.

[ Design Miami/ ] is the global forum for design. Each fair brings together the most influential collectors, gallerists, designers, curators and critics from around the world in celebration of design culture and commerce. Occurring alongside the Art Basel fairs in Miami, USA each December and Basel, Switzerland each June, Design Miami/ has become the premier venue for collecting, exhibiting, discussing and creating collectible design.

barbara kasten: stages. graham foundation – 2015 chicago architecture biennial.

Sep 28, 2015

Please join us on Thursday, 1 October for a reception to celebrate the Graham Foundation’s new exhibition, Barbara Kasten: Stages, with opening remarks by artist Barbara Kasten and curator Alex Klein. Spanning Kasten’s five-decade engagement with abstraction, light, and architectural form, this exhibition explores the artist’s expansive photographic practice and highlights her critical engagement with architecture and her impact on a new generation of artists. Barbara Kasten: Stages is presented in partnership with the 2015 Chicago Architecture Biennial.

In conjunction with the exhibition opening, the Graham Foundation, with Distributed Art Publishers, is pleased to launch Barbara Kasten: The Diazotypes––a special small-run artist book of Kasten’s diazotypes, a body of work she created while living in California in the 1970s using a process commonly employed to create architectural blueprints. Along with the exhibition catalogue, Barbara Kasten: The Diazotypes will be available for purchase at the Graham Foundation Bookshop. [ more on barbara kasten ]

event> barbara kasten: stages
date> thursday 2 October 2015
time> 5-8PM
opening reception> Please RSVP
comments> 5PM comments by barbara kasten & alex klein, curator, institute of contemporary art

Barbara Kasten: Stages is organized by the Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania and is curated by ICA curator Alex Klein. Major support for the exhibition has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.

day 1 peek at expo chicago 2015.

Sep 18, 2015

Things started off creatively. Upon picking up press credentials last night we were given this very cleverly designed wristband. Looking like a yellow tongue depressor when handed to us, when bent a bit it snapped around the wrist. TY MCA.

Expo Chicago 2015 is our fourth consecutive visit. Our first impression, the event is maturing, getting better. But to-the-point. In 2013, our second year, the concept of asking the galleries if they’ere showing work from artists who studied architecture and/or design.

To solidify this bent, the night before at the Making place: The Architecture of David Adjaye at an Art Institute special conversation with David, we learn he discovered architecture while attending an art school. In his acceptance speech of the 2016 McDermott Award, “in my career I have sought to cross creative platforms and to focus on the creative discourse surrounding the act of making things.”

above> washington skeleton chair, 2012 | david adjaye for knoll | salon 94 – the very chair that david and zoë ryan were sitting on at Making Place the night before.

What does DesignApplause look for? You have to consider our introduction to the co-existence of fine art and design, found at Art Basel and DesignMiami. The last three years we’ve asked Tony Karman if the design gallery would pop-up. Here’s what he said in our 2013 interview, “we want quality over quantity, meaning a smaller show, about 100 exhibitors. ‘When the marketplace can sustain it and quality of dealers are beating down the door, we’ll consider it. But only if the exhibitors want it, not me. It’s their space.’

We didn’t have to ask in 2015. When sent the 2015 exhibitor list, near the bottom:

To complement the intersections between art and design, the 2015 edition will present some of the leading international exhibitors specializing in this field interspersed throughout the main fair. Galleries include: HOSTLER BURROWS | New York; casati gallery | Chicago; R & Company | New York; and Volume Gallery | Chicago.

above> beddy white, 20015 | the haas brothers | r & company – when we approach zesty meyers, founder of r & company, and one of the 15 founding galleries Design Miami ten years ago, we ask who’s a trained architect or designer, he says, “pick anyone you like.”

An aside, the past three years about 50% of the galleries are showing trained architects, designers or artists inspired by architecture & design. Tonight we have three hours and our ‘see first’ list are those galleries we posted in the past. We’ve put an (*) next to their name in the exhibitors list below. There are 26 on this list, a testament to returning galleries, and regretfully three hours is not enough to see all tonight.

Rhona Hoffman Gallery wowed us by saying none of their artists were formally trained but the gallery provided a special room for those artists (5) inspired by a&d.

above> circus, 1978 | gordon matta-clark | rhona hoffman gallery – matta-clark creates installation art from buildings about to be demolished. below> untitled (15-05), 2015 | richard rezac | rhona hoffman gallery – created works are comprised of discarded architectural hardware.

Another surprise, furniture by Chicago-bred Virgil Abloh. We know him as the outspoken creative director of Kanye West, a popular D.J., a fashion designer, with a Chicago clothing store, RSVP gallery. We didn’t know he’s an architect and engineer and left a Chicago office to do what he’s doing now.

above> grid system, 2015 | virgil abloh – his furniture appears to embody a little of abloh’s energy too.

above> portraits with mona, 2015 | gregory scott | catherine edelman gallery – former graphic designer mr. scott is admiring his own work.

We look at our watches, it’s 9p. We’re hungry. btw, before we left we took an aisle by aisle walk with an at-glance eye at everything. this is a great event.

above> – we walk out a side door to the outside – we’re hungry AND tired. TY Expo Chicago

above> click on image > navigate lightbox

The 2015 exhibitor list was chosen by the international Selection Committee comprised of Marianne Boesky, Marianne Boesky Gallery * | New York; Isabella Bortolozzi, Isabella Bortolozzi Galerie | Berlin; John Corbett, Corbett vs. Dempsey | Chicago; Chris D’Amelio, David Zwirner | London, New York; Rhona Hoffman, Rhona Hoffman Gallery * | Chicago; David Nolan, David Nolan Gallery | New York; Jessica Silverman, Jessica Silverman Gallery | San Francisco; and Susanne Vielmetter, Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects | Los Angeles.

EXPOSURE, the section of the fair dedicated to galleries that have been in business seven years or less, allows the opportunity for younger galleries to participate in a major international exposition. A special exhibition of one or two artists by each of the participating galleries provides critical exposure for their programs, offering an important opportunity for curators, collectors and art enthusiasts to survey the best in innovative and emerging work. The EXPOSURE Selection Committee was led by returning gallerist Candice Madey, On Stellar Rays | New York and Kate Werble, Kate Werble Gallery | New York.

The list of 2015 EXPOSURE exhibiting galleries includes:

[ expo chicago ] The International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art, is presented by Art Expositions, LLC. Now in its fourth year as a leading international art fair, EXPO CHICAGO (Sept. 17 – 20, 2015) is a four-day art event featuring more than 140 leading international galleries and offering diverse programming including /Dialogues, IN/SITU and EXPO VIDEO. Under the leadership of President and Director Tony Karman, EXPO CHICAGO draws upon the city’s rich history as a vibrant international cultural destination, while highlighting the region’s contemporary arts community and inspiring its collector base. Vernissage, the opening night preview benefiting the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, takes place Thursday, 17 September 6 – 9 p.m. General Admission to the exposition is Friday, 18 September – Sunday, 20 September. Tickets to the exposition are $20 for one day, $30 for three days.

golden waters light installation by grimanesa amorós.

Aug 15, 2015

Golden Waters, a temporary light installation by artist Grimanesa Amorós, which extends from the famous Soleri Bridge, is on view now until September 30, 2015. Scottsdale Public Art, a leader of defining art in the public realm, is the sponsor of the installation.

Inspired by and reflecting the natural elegance of the Arizona canal, a nearly fifty mile long body of water that runs through Scottsdale, Golden Waters is mounted on a secure structure attached to the bridge, designed by artist, architect and philosopher Paolo Soleri. The hovering light sculpture extends parallel to the canal channel eighty feet west of the bridge. Golden Waters’ LED tubing system appears to rise from the canal waters below, celebrating the union of light and water.

The vertical and horizontal lines of the installation are a metaphor for the dynamic balance between urban and natural forces that can be experienced simultaneously. Golden Waters hopes to engage the viewer by emphasizing a unique perspective on nature and landscape.

[ grimanesa amorós ]
Grimanesa Amorós was born in Lima, Peru and lives and works in New York City. She is a multidisciplinary artist with diverse interests in the fields of social history, scientific research and critical theory, which have greatly influenced her work.
Amorós researches the locations, histories and communities of the installation sites. Her process remains organic and instinctive. This intuitive relationship to technology is a distinctive feature of Amorós’ practice. Her works incorporates elements from sculpture, video, lighting, and technology to create site-specific installations to engage architecture and create community.Grimanesa Amorós has often drawn upon important Peruvian cultural legacies for inspiration for her large-scale light- based installations, which she has presented around the globe from Mexico, Tel Aviv and Beijing to New York’s Times Square. She continues to be inspired from Peru’s history for her art but she does not hold an essentialist or nostalgic view of her subject. She often gives talks at museums, foundations and universities where her lectures not only attract future artists but students and faculty engaged with science and technology. It feels somewhere in the art of Grimanesa Amorós, the past is meeting the future. Amorós has exhibited in the United States, Europe, Asia, Middle East and Latin America.
For more information about Grimanesa Amorós, visit http://www.grimanesaamoros.com/bio/

[ scottsdale public art ]
The mission of Scottsdale Public Art is to serve as a leader in defining art in the public realm through creative place-making, signature cultural events, exhibitions, and installations—contributing to the community’s creative, cultural, and economic vitality.

Scottsdale Public Art is partially funded by the City of Scottsdale public art ordinances, and managed by the Scottsdale Cultural Council, a private, non-profit 501(c) (3) management organization that administers the arts and cultural affairs of the City of Scottsdale and also manages the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.

frida kahlo and her plants – indivisible, in life and in art.

May 21, 2015

frida kahlo and her plants — indivisible, in life and in art. exhibition a metaphor of her sense of place. via new york times [RK]

expo chicago 2015 releases first look at /dialogues panel discussion series.

May 5, 2015

Keynote Panels Include Hans Ulrich Obrist in Conversation with Legendary Hairy Who Artists; Diego Perrone, Eugenio Re Rebaudengo and Letizia Ragaglia on Contemporary Art in Italy; Matthieu Poirier in conversation with Daniel Buren and more; and Thelma Golden, Solveig Øvstebø and Franklin Sirmans in Conversation with Jacob Proctor

Expo Chicago, The International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art,, announces highlighted discussions for /Dialogues to take place during the fourth annual exposition, 17 > 20 September 2015, with more than ten additional panels to be announced leading up to the fair. Presented in partnership with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), /Dialogues offers panel discussions, conversations and provocative artistic discourse with leading artists, curators, designers and arts professionals on the current issues that engage them. Located on the east end of Navy Pier’s Festival Hall, the /Dialogues stage will feature continuous programming throughout each day of the fair, offering guests multiple chances to see and hear riveting discussions and engaging exchange between some of the most respected arts professionals working today.

“This early look at our /Dialogues program shows that in the three years since our inaugural exposition, it has quickly developed into a powerful conversation space for globally-respected artists, curators and art professionals,” said EXPO CHICAGO President and Director Tony Karman. “This year, the /Dialogues stage will host insightful panels that look at the art scene both then and now in Chicago, with Hans Ulrich Obrist in conversation with a selection of Chicago Imagists; as well as beyond the Midwest—from current perspectives on national museum contexts in the United States, and more. These panels will bring together the voices of some of the greatest artists and thinkers living today, and are just a snapshot of the full programming we will be releasing for EXPO CHICAGO this September.”

Highlights of the 2015 program include Hans Ulrich Obrist in conversation with artists Art Green, Gladys Nilsson and Karl Wirsum from the Hairy Who in advance of the fifty-year anniversary of their first exhibition at the Hyde Park Art Center; Diego Perrone, Letizia Ragaglia and Eugenio Re Rebaudengo on the state of contemporary art in Italy from an international perspective; independent curator Matthieu Poirier in conversation with Daniel Buren, Nicolas Cattelain and Felice Varini discussing radical abstraction and its relationship to architecture as part of the French-American Curatorial Exchange; and Thelma Golden, Solveig Øvstebø and Franklin Sirmans in conversation with Jacob Proctor on the global impact of public collections and exhibitions that different museum models allow from an institutional standpoint.

[ /dialogues | schedule highlights ]

Friday, 18 September
2:30 pm | Contemporary Art in Italy: Today
Featuring Artist Diego Perrone, Director of MUSEION Letizia Ragaglia and Founder of ARTUNER Eugenio Re Rebaudengo

Presented in partnership with the Italian Cultural Institute and ItalCultura.

4:00 pm | Museum Models: The Global Impact of Public Collections
Featuring Director and Chief Curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem Thelma Golden, Executive Director and Chief Curator of The Renaissance Society Solveig Øvstebø and Terri and Michael Smooke Curator and Department Head of Contemporary Art of LACMA Franklin Sirmans.
Moderated by Curator of the Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society Jacob Proctor

Saturday, 19 September
2:30 pm | French-American Curatorial Exchange | Leaving the Canvas: Abstract Art and Architecture
Featuring Artist Daniel Buren, Collector Nicolas Cattelain and Artist Felice Varini. Moderated and organized by Independent Art Historian, Critic and Curator Matthieu Poirier

4:00 pm | Hans Ulrich Obrist: In Conversation with the Hairy Who
Featuring Artists Art Green, Gladys Nilsson and Karl Wirsum

[ expo chicago ] The International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art, is presented by Art Expositions, LLC. Now in its fourth year as a leading international art fair, EXPO CHICAGO (Sept. 17 – 20, 2015) is a four-day art event featuring more than 140 leading international galleries and offering diverse programming including /Dialogues, IN/SITU and EXPO VIDEO. Under the leadership of President and Director Tony Karman, EXPO CHICAGO draws upon the city’s rich history as a vibrant international cultural destination, while highlighting the region’s contemporary arts community and inspiring its collector base. Vernissage, the opening night preview benefiting the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, takes place Thursday, Sept 17, 6 – 9 p.m. General Admission to the exposition is Friday, Sept. 18 – Sunday, Sept. 20 (for hours please visit expochicago.com). Tickets to the exposition are $20 for one day, $30 for three days.