Pneuhaus is a Rhode Island based design collective {Matt Muller, Augie Lehrecke, Levi Bedall} that focuses on “the mastery of all things inflatable”. Yep, clearly! Their most recent, totally breathtaking project is titled Pnit:

“Pnit magnifies the most basic knit stitch pattern so that this elegant and simple strength can be seen and the mechanics of it understood. Knit fabrics are a part of our daily lives, they cloth us and keep our beds warm; and yet as many of us lose track of the way the objects we interact with are made it can be easy to overlook the intrinsic structural beauty of fabrics.”

Pnit was created for PVDFest, Providence’s signature art festival, and will be illuminated in all its knitted glory throughout the summer of 2019. Happy Monday.

Mmmmm, yummy! From ceramics to collages, dumplings to beer… these are just a few of the pieces included in “Potluck”, a totally stacked group show opening at Hashimoto Gallery in San Francisco {804 Sutter St} this Saturday, June 29th from 6 to 9pm. I’ll give you one guess to figure out the theme:

“Inspired by community and connections created around food, this dynamic group show brings together artists working in ceramics, drawing, painting and beyond for a delicious exploration in our relationships with food.

Featuring 28 artists from the San Francisco Bay Area, nationally and internationally, [Potluck] includes a diverse range of experiences culturally, emotionally and conceptually. Drawing inspiration from the community created around gathering for a meal and the preparation of food, each artist brings unique memories and histories embedded in what we eat. Each piece offers the viewer a personal perspective of food, ranging from favorite dishes and places, intimate domestic scenes, celebratory occasions and nostalgic recollections.”

Featuring new works by: Laura Berger | Sarah Carolan | Jeffrey Cheung | Lauren Corden | Brian de Graft (1st shown above) | Amanda Dunham | Nicole Dyer | Dan Gluibizzi | Casey Gray | Liz Hernandez | Celia Jacobs | Sam Keller (3rd shown above)| Katie Kimmel | Ness Lee | Quentin Monge | Rebecca Ness | Kellie Orr | Hilda Palafox | Pedro Pedro | Petites Luxures | Joel Daniel Phillips | Stephanie H. Shih (4th shown above) | Jessica So Ren Tang | Lorien Stern (2nd shown above) | Anna Valdez (5th shown above) | Chelsea Wong | Joey Yu

ps. “Potluck”, curated by Dasha Matsuura, runs until July 20th, 2019.

Ahhh, Los Angeles. Sunny skies, palm trees, and freeways. These oil paintings are the work of British painter John Tierney. He lives and works in the UK, but his muse is LA… clearly.

“John Tierney lives in Durham City in the north east of England. He is a regular visitor to Los Angeles and most of his work takes as its subject matter the urban landscape of the city – the light in LA being of particular importance. Furthermore, the architecture of LA is, to put it mildly, seductively eclectic, taking in old and new iconic buildings and a whole range of small-scale, quirky establishments. 

Working in oils, the basic aim is quite straightforward: to create paintings that provide a strong sense of place, a feeling of what it is like to be there. He visits these various locations as, in a sense, an ‘outside’ observer, one who is fascinated by the differences between them and the urban and rural landscapes of the UK.”

John’s latest show, titled “Postcards from LA”, will be opening in – you guessed it – LA! Stop by Maddox Gallery {8811 Beverly Boulevard West Hollywood} one week from tomorrow: FRIDAY June 28th.

First of all … a Monchichi!? Oh my word, so many 1980s childhood flashbacks. Okay, let’s talk about these beautifully bizarre portraits by Los Angeles based painter Tasha Kusama, shall we? That perfectly painted hair, those dreamy sky-scapes, not to mention titles like “sometimes ima baby, sometimes ima tiger”… GOLD! Tasha’s work is part of a group show at La Luz de Jesus Gallery in LA, titled CANNED HEAT, that opens on July 5th {8-11pm} and runs until July 28th, 2019.

Ahhhhh, the glazed donuts of Korean born, New York based artist Jae Yong Kim… it’s ceramic glaze but still, oh, so yummy! Some of his work is currently showing at Lyons Wier Gallery in New York as part of a show, titled “FIRE AND WATER” {Michael Boroniec, Jae Yong Kim, Dylan Martinez : June 4 ~ July 6, 2019}. Go if you can… and try not to lick the art.

ps. Note the “Homage to Kusama” up there. Love, love, love!

I always find myself holding my breath when I look at the work of  Cornwall based artist Susanna Bauer… you know, just in case. Delicate, crocheted, lace-like adornments connecting, surrounding, and transforming fallen leaves into fine art. Susanna’s work is currently showing at VOLTA Art Basel in Switzerland June 10th – 15th. Look for Swiss gallery Le Salon Vert (Stand C13), and you’ll find these lovely masterpieces.

*photos by art-photographers.co.uk

ps. Susanna’s work – and story – is featured in my book, A BIG IMPORTANT ART BOOK – Now with Women!

Sooooo, apparently this is paper. What? Yes. These meticulous pieces are the work of American artist / paper engineer Matt Shlian. I wrote about him way back in 2010… he was good then, but now? Whoa. Here is part of Matt’s artist statement:

“As a paper engineer, my work is rooted in print media, book arts and commercial design. Beginning with an initial fold, a single action causes a transfer of energy to subsequent folds, which ultimately manifest in drawing and three dimensional forms … He begins with a system of folding and at a particular moment the material takes over. Guided by wonder, his work is made because he cannot visualize its final realization; in this way he comes to understanding through curiosity.” 

His latest show, titled “Relief”, opens this SATURDAY JUNE 8th {2pm} at Duran Mashaal Gallery in Montreal.

Clean, vibrant, and kind of odd… perfection. This is a new, and very personal, series by Vancouver based photographer Jackie Dives. I’ll hand it over to Jackie for the beautiful explanation of these strange combinations:

“Patience and Balance” is a series of still life self portrait photographs that explore womanhood and aging as a woman. Earlier this year, while at an artist residency in Mexico City, a birthday of mine passed that left me feeling paralyzed emotionally and creatively. Looking for inspiration, I wandered the market in the local suburb where I was staying, and started to purchase items that I felt a connection to. These were mostly rotting fruit and vegetables. I received some confused looks when I purposely reached for the produce that was damaged, bruised, or rotting. But I thought they were beautiful, they were calling to me.

I brought them back to my studio and started to photograph them. I realized I was creating a version of a self portrait, a personal memento mori. When photography was a new art form and still quite expensive and laborious it was often only in death when a person would be photographed. These post-mortem photos or memento mori, which is Latin for “remember that you will die,” served as treasured keepsakes, valuable remembrances of a deceased loved one.

The process of making these self portraits about aging and death made me feel alive, and I even found humour in them. Through a mourning and celebration of my past self I found a way to heal my present self.

I looooove that she gave herself this assignment… smart and oh so lovely, just like Jackie herself. These pieces (and more) are part of a group show, titled Uncannyland, that opens this Friday, May 31 from 6-9pm at South Main Gallery in Vancouver, and runs until June 14, 2019. Go!

Mountains of bone-like ceramic tangles … if this work, by California based artist Laura Cooper, doesn’t  make you want to spend the weekend in the desert, well, I don’t what will. How’s that for a segue into the fact that these pieces will be part of the inaugural show at HeyThere Projects in Joshua Tree, California this Saturday, May 25 from 5-9 pm. A road trip to Joshua Tree + work by a whole bunch of amazing artists? You’re welcome. {Other artists in the show: Rob Clayton, Alejandra Fernandez and Carlos Ramirez}

HeyThere Projects is located near the entrance to Joshua Tree National Park, and was initiated by intrepid artists and old friends Mark Todd and Aaron Smith … both of whom have been on my podcast! Their gorgeous new gallery showcases emerging and established artists in a setting surrounded by vast natural splendor. 

{Laura’s bio photo by Molly Haas}

Okay, I’m trying to concentrate on the entirety of this fabulous sculpture show, but oh my word that giant mobile filled with sparkly childhood adventure is KILLING ME… it’s like a disco ball and ‘Stand By Me’ had a baby!!!  “Dinner’s Ready”, the latest show by American artist Just Emerson, is currently installed Skye Gallery, Aspen. And – because still photos don’t do my new obsession justice – here’s the install of “Fortune Teller’s Dream”:

 

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A post shared by Skye Gallery Aspen (@skyegalleryaspen) on Apr 11, 2019 at 10:22am PDT

Gah! Gorgeous! This show will be up until June 5, 2019.