ronald rael
This is flying around the internet at the moment… and rightly so! Candy-pink seesaws have just been installed at the US / Mexico border, inviting children from both countries to play with each other… yes, yes, YES! This is the beautiful, and incredibly powerful, work of Oakland based architects Ronald Rael and his partner Virginia San Fratello. Here are the words from Ronald’s Instagram post from two days ago:
“One of the most incredible experiences of my and @vasfsf’s career bringing to life the conceptual drawings of the Teetertotter Wall from 2009 in an event filled with joy, excitement, and togetherness at the borderwall. The wall became a literal fulcrum for U.S. – Mexico relations and children and adults were connected in meaningful ways on both sides with the recognition that the actions that take place on one side have a direct consequence on the other side. Amazing thanks to everyone who made this event possible like Omar Rios @colectivo.chopeke for collaborating with us, the guys at Taller Herrería in #CiudadJuarez for their fine craftsmanship, @anateresafernandez for encouragement and support, and everyone who showed up on both sides including the beautiful families from Colonia Anapra, and @kerrydoyle2010, @kateggreen , @ersela_kripa , @stphn_mllr ,
@wakawaffles, Chris Gauthier and many others (you know who you are). #raelsanfratello #borderwallasarchitecture “
Beautiful. In every way.
jessy nite
I have always been a sucker for text-based work, but Miami based artist Jessy Nite is pushing me over a shadow-casting edge! Gorgeous, beautifully executed and, oh, so very clever. Happy Monday … STAY GOLD. Keep an eye on her inspiring Instagram feed for her latest creations and WIPs.
pamela tan
Gasp! This delicate white wonderland is ‘Eden’, a permanent installation by Malaysian architectural designer Pamela Tan. Here are a few excerpts from the description of this project:
‘Eden’ blurs the boundaries between man-made wonders and the beauty of nature. Opening up your senses to a world of delight and new sensations through a curated retail experience. ‘Eden’ is a celebration of natural elements, merging the lush greenery of the existing site-163 Retail Park with a wondrous landscape referenced from the mythical story of the ‘Garden of Eden’. Providing visitors with a refuge away from the hustle and bustle of daily life; as a space of solace and contemplation … Upon closer observation, glass spheres can be seen delicately perched on the cusp of the hanging vines; echoing water droplets balancing on the edge of leaves after rain has subsided. A cathedral-like space is achieved with the varying heights of the vines casting an intricate play of shadow upon it’s surroundings … ‘Eden’ wishes to bring you to re-discover the joys of looking closer, to cause you to momentarily suspend your beliefs and become a child once again. To believe, if only for a moment, that you are actually in paradise.
Well, mission accomplished! ‘Eden’ can be found at 163 Retail Park, Mont Kiara, 50480 Kuala Lumpur.
emmanuelle moureaux
Okay, now this is my kind of math! “Forest of Numbers” (2017) is the work of Emmanuelle Moureaux, a French architect living in Tokyo. This is just one of many absolutely breathtaking, colorful, all-consuming installations she has created. Emmanuelle is “inspired by the layers and colors of Tokyo that built a complex depth and density on the street, and the Japanese traditional spatial elements like sliding screens, she has created the concept of shikiri, which literally means ‘dividing (creating) space with colors’.” Well, that is exactly what she did with this 2017 installation at The National Art Center, Tokyo. Here is the description from her site:
“The installation “Forest of Numbers” (2017) visualized the decade of the future from 2017 to 2026, created a sense of stillness across the large exhibition space. More than 60,000 pieces of suspended numeral figures from 0 to 9 were regularly aligned in three dimensional grids. A section was removed, created a path that cut through the installation, invited visitors to wonder inside the colorful forest filled with numbers. The installation was composed of 10 layers which is the representation of 10 years time. Each layer employed 4 digits to express the relevant year such as 2, 0, 1, and 7 for 2017, which were randomly positioned on the grids. As part of Emmanuelle’s “100 colors” installation series, the layers of time were colored in 100 shades of colors, created a colorful time travel through the forest.
Inside the colorful forest, two girls and one cat were lost inside, added playfulness to the installation. In concert with the installation, the compilation of exhibition posters from the last ten years filled the wall on the right, and the opposite wall across the room simply expressed the next ten years with white numbers. Because photography was exceptionally allowed, the installation has spread through various social networks, increasing number of visitors. This installation was created with the cooperation of 300 volunteers, excited the attention of over 20,000 visitors in 10 days.”
Ahhh, to be lost in a rainbow-hued forest of numbers, searching for that little pink cat. Stunning.
naomi zouwer
Gasp! As a lover of small, collected, special treasures this wall-mounted mandala, made up of 84 pieces of loveliness {oil on board}, is calling my name! This work, titled “The Under Glow”, is just one of the many reasons I love the very personal work of Australian artist Naomi Zouwer {including object “portraits” of her family}. Her portfolio is filled to the brim with beautifully painted keepsakes, which on their own might seem trivial, but together? Well, they become their own beautiful language.
[Naomi] focuses on small domestic objects that are part of daily life. They are a mixture of functional and non-functional items; precious in terms of memories, they are keepsakes, souvenirs, some are whole and some just fragments. Zouwer’s painting of objects enhances their quality and raises their status so that they become worthy of sustained attention.
Love.
devra freelander
“Fluorescent Fragments” … I loved this joyful, vibrant installation the second I saw it, but now these broken shards feel different. This is the work of American artist Devra Freelander. On July 1, 2019, at the very young age of 28, Devra was hit and killed by a truck while riding her bike in Brooklyn. Heartbreaking and senseless. This is the long list of artistic accomplishments Devra had already achieved. It is a terrible tragedy that she can no longer add to this:
Devra Freelander makes sculptures and videos that explore climate change and geology from an ecofeminist and millennial lens. She received her MFA in Sculpture from Rhode Island School of Design in 2016, and her BA with honors in Studio Art from Oberlin College in 2012. Freelander has exhibited with Times Square Arts, CRUSH Curatorial, SPRING/BREAK Art Show, the Affordable Art Fair, the New York Design Center, the RISD Museum, Zoya Tommy Contemporary, the White Gallery, and the Fjuk Arts Centre. She is a founding member of MATERIAL GIRLS, and a recipient of the 2016 St. Botolph Club Foundation Emerging Artist Award. She has participated in residencies with Sculpture Space (Utica, NY April-May 2019) Women’s Studio Workshop (Rosendale, NY November-December 2018), the Arctic Circle Residency (Svalbard, Norway, October 2017), Socrates Sculpture Park (Long Island City, NY, 2017), Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Workspace (New York, NY 2016-2017), the Fjuk Arts Centre (Husavik, Iceland, July 2015), and Virginia Commonwealth University Summer Studio Program (Richmond, VA, June-August 2013). She is represented by CIRCA Gallery in Minneapolis, MN.
All of my love to her friends and family. RIP, Devra.
melissa mcgill
“Red Regatta is a non-profit independent public art project, presented in collaboration with Associazione Vela al Terzo, that unites Venetians and visitors to celebrate the cultural and maritime history of this iconic city to call attention to the forces of climate change and mass tourism that threaten its future.” YES! This is the latest breathtaking work of New York based artist Melissa McGill. This stunning project fills Venice’s lagoon and canals with large-scale regattas of traditional vela al terzo sailboats hoisted with hand-painted red sails. While the sight of those red sails against the aquamarine waters and deep blue skies of Venice is pure magic, the intention behind the project is even more fantastic. Melissa’s concern for the environment and her passion for art in public spaces is at the center of this project, along with a focus on how local actions can speak to international issues. Here is a little more information about this jaw-dropping project that launched – literally – during the opening week of the Venice Biennale:
“Red Regatta launched in May, 2019 and will unfold in multiple parts through November 2019. The project brings together members of the Venetian community and partners working closely with the artist, ranging from local sailors to artisans to art students, to present an unprecedented, site-specific performative work that celebrates local maritime culture and history and raises awareness about the balance between the city of Venice and the sea.
Venetians have been sailing the vela al terzo boats in the city’s waterways and lagoon for over a thousand years. Designed with a flat bottom and removable mast to navigate Venice’s terrain, vela al terzo boats traditionally hoist sails painted with identifying graphics in earthy colors, representing each sailor’s family. In Red Regatta, each boat will have sails hand-painted in distinct shades of red, developed by McGill. As the boats glide though the lagoon in unison set against the sky, sea, and cityscape, the reds reference forces of life and passion, alarm and urgency, and Venice itself—from its bricks and terra cotta rooftops, to its flag and history of trade in red pigment, to paintings by Titian, Tintoretto, and other Venetian masters.”
Amazing. I’m going to be in Venice for the last two weeks of July, and I’m crossing my fingers that a red regatta sails past! If you’d like to help Melissa and her team keep the wind in their sails {they still have production costs to cover}, check out their fundraising page… there are lots of red goodies over there!
pnit by pneuhaus
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.
hrafnhildur arnardóttir
Wow. In one month from today I will be in Venice… and I just found my first stop at the biennale! This is the Icelandic Pavilion, and the magical work of Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir, aka Shoplifter. She has transformed a warehouse {Spazio Punch, on the island of Giudecca} into a soft, colorful, bizarre world titled “Chromo Sapiens”.
“Working with both synthetic and natural hair her sculptures, wall murals and site-specific installations explore themes of vanity, self-image, fashion, beauty and popular myth. For Shoplifter hair is the ultimate thread that grows from our body. Hair is an original, creative fiber, a way for people to distinguish themselves as individuals, and often an art form. Humor plays a large role in her life and work, sometimes subtly, but at other times taking over.”
I will go there, I will sit in there, I may not come out of there. {Yes, that’s Hrafnhildur in the shot above, and I’m planning on striking the same pose when I’m in there … how could I not!?} Happy Friday.
olivia erlanger
Can you imagine walking into a Los Angeles laundromat and seeing a couple of iridescent mermaid tails hanging out of the rinse cycle? That’s where this beautiful and bizarre work by LA based artist Olivia Erlanger started out in 2016. Last month, however, her fabulous tails/washers were at Frieze New York {with And Now Gallery}. Obviously they were a crowd favorite, because mermaids!
*Final, fabulous image above was found on Instagram via @imastudio
