Ahhh, eavesdropping… it’s one of my favorite hobbies, and apparently I’m not alone. American artist Megan Constance Altieri turned bits and pieces of overheard conversations into an installation, titled “Sonder : The Art of Empathy Through Eavesdropping” {which was the “Installation Public Vote” winner of Michigan’s prestigious ArtPrize in 2018!} Here is the description of this lovely project:

“Sonder illustrates the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as our own. In our awareness of even a single other person we begin to grasp the magnitude of the 7.6 billion coexisting realities all as specific and important as one another. Over the past two years, Altieri has gathered fragments of overheard conversations and hand-stamped them on articles of clothing matching those of the speaker. Viewing these articles collectively challenges our capacity for empathy, curiosity, and awareness of others. Sonder seeks to help us grasp the beautiful complexities of humanity by allowing a momentary escape from our own lens. In exchange for our perspective, we are offered a truer understanding of our identity as a dot among a sea of dots.”

So, so, so many beautiful dots. FYI, Megan has recently turned this installation in to a book! You can find it here.

So, you know how the world feels like a crazy, scary, overwhelming place lately? Just me? Well, I am taking today off from the never-ending news loop to look at these gorgeous paintings by Australian artist Zoe Young. I wrote about her three years ago, but I desperately need the calm of her zen-like still-life works again in 2020. Cantaloupe (or rock melon if you’re from Australia), checkered napkins, and a freshly sliced apple. Annnnnnnnnd, exhale.

Yes, all of these gorgeous portraits are speaking directly to me… from ugh to girls supporting girls, I feel like I’m living every day in all of these Tshirts! These large-scale oil paintings are the work of Brooklyn based artist Helen Robinson. Here is part of her artist statement explaining how she arrived at this work:

“Helen’s work focuses on conceptual portraiture that explores the nature of representation and the limitless potential of the human figure as a subject. She uses non-traditional portraiture to consider modes of representation and self-expression. Her paintings are all derived from photographs and studies and are mostly documentary in style. Overall, Helen’s work expresses human connection and social interactions based on our relationship to our surroundings and one another.”

{Found via Create Magazine}

Oh my. This is the work of Los Angeles based artist Todd Gray. Well, actually, he works between Los Angeles and Ghana, where he “explores the diasporic dislocations and cultural connections which link Western hegemony with West Africa.” Brilliant and beautiful. As a collage artist, I am absolutely in love with these stunning compositions / juxtapositions of images… and all of those found frames? LOVE.

Oh my word, I love these weird ‘n wonderful things so much! These sculptures are by American artist Joe Davidson, and yes, that final piece is sitting beside a painting by one of my favorite artists (and people!), Samantha Fields. You’ll see why in a minute… So, I asked Joe what these squishy but not squishy at all, pastel-hued, plaster balloon/sausages were all about, and this is what he told me:

“I love the fact that these have obvious references to Koons (for the acidic celebratory balloon sculptures) and Bourgeois (for the anthropomorphic nature of the forms). My forms are obviously quite phallic, and it makes me think about our notions of masculinity, emasculation, age, etc. As I recently hit my 50’s, these things are creeping in to my mind. What I like about pairing my work with Sam is it puts these works in a larger, less personal conversation about the idea of the male ‘take-the-land’ attitude under which we live, and our collective questioning of that principle.”

You can see this group show, titled “Personal Contacts #3″, until September 5th at Durdan and Ray in Los Angeles… and TONIGHT, Monday August 31, Joe will be talking to Samantha via a live Zoom talk, about this six-part series titled ‘that explores novel approaches to community curation.’ It starts at 7pm, Joe & Sam will be on around 7:45pm. Here’s the Zoom link.

Quiet Listening. Serenity. Pause. These are a few of the titles from above… just imagine what a different world we’d live in if everyone embraced that state of mind. This is the beautiful and striking work of Nigerian born, Germany based artist Peter Uka. His latest show, titled “Inner Frame”, opens TODAY, August 28th (till Oct 24) at Galerie Voss in Dusseldorf.

Uh, yep, that looks exactly right. Quick personal aside, this is precisely how I felt when I went from being a full-time Creative Director to a full time At-Home Mama. Oof, it was a tricky transition {I burned a shitload of cookies}. Anywho, this photography series – that clearly strikes a chord with me – is the work of Chicago based artist Patty Carroll. All of these images are from the latest iteration, titled ‘Demise’, of her ongoing series ‘Anonymous Women’. Here is the description from Patty’s site:

“‘Anonymous Women’, consists of a 3-part series of studio installations made for the camera, addressing women and their complicated relationships with domesticity. By camouflaging the figure in drapery and/or domestic objects, Carroll creates a dark and humorous game of hide-and-seek between her viewers and the Anonymous Woman …

In the latest narratives, “Demise,” the woman becomes the victim of domestic disasters. Her activities, obsessions and objects are overwhelming her. Her home has become a site of tragedy. The scenes of her heartbreaking end are loosely inspired by several sources including the game of clue, where murder occurs in one of five rooms of the house: Dining Room, Kitchen, Hall, Conservatory, and Library.”

Domestic disasters… ah yes, I know them well.

These gorgeous mixed media paintings are the work of Atlanta based artist, illustrator and educator Charly Palmer. His painted and collaged flowers are what grabbed me, apparently an element he started incorporating into his work after his mother passed away in 2008 {which makes me love them even more}. Speaking of love… most of us have been cursing 2020, but Charly is having a VERY good summer. In June, the album cover he painted for John Legend was released, in July his work was on the cover of TIME Magazine, and in August… he got married! Yep, he’s making 2020 look pretty damn good:

Congratulations, Charly!

Okay, I’m officially obsessed. I tried to pick just one of these pieces to showcase, but how could I not show you the giant mirror mask, the Marilyn shoes made out of pot and pans {that’s the artist, for scale!}, and a fabulous, feathery, burlesque-looking “Lilicoptère” exhibited at Versailles?! These beauties are just the tip of the absolutely gorgeous iceberg that is the portfolio of Lisbon based artist Joana Vasconcelos… and clearly, the art world agrees. Here’s a tiny snippet from her CV. Look at this badass list:

Her work became known internationally after her participation in the 51^st Venice Biennale in 2005, with the work A Noiva [The Bride] (2001-05). She was the first woman and the youngest artist to exhibit at the Palace of Versailles, in 2012. Recent highlights of her career include a solo exhibition at Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, the project Trafaria Praia, for the Pavilion of Portugal at the 55^th Venice Biennale; the participation in the group exhibition The World Belongs to You at the Palazzo Grassi/François Pinault Foundation, Venice (2011); and her first retrospective, held at the Museu Coleção Berardo, Lisbon (2010).

Damn.