Niki de Saint Phalle (1930 – 2002) might be best known for her brightly-colored sculptures of voluptuous, dancing women, which she called Les Nana, but she had a rich career that spanned a variety of mediums. In addition to painting, film-making, and illustration of children’s books, she created unique sculptural furniture, including a series incorporating figures of snakes or serpents, to which this wall Mirror (Le Miroir) and Black Armchair (Fauteuil Noir), both circa 1980, belong.
Toiletpaper Paradise Installation View (All Photos By Gail)
Toiletpaper Paradise was an amazing, interactive art exhibit that was installed in the gallery at Cadillac House in Soho, NYC from February 9th to April 12th, 2017. The brains behind this fab happening are artist Maurizio Cattelan (whom you have read about previously on this rad blog) and his photographer partner Pierpaolo Ferrari. The exhibit, which was a surrealist wet dream of an apartment comprised of four rooms, was sponsored by creative media agency Visionaire and based on the duo’s image-heavy art publication, Toiletpaper Magazine.
Because the exhibit — which was dubbed as being comparable to “Mad Men on Acid” — was so insanely Instagramable, it was always packed with Asian Millennials and, thus, virtually impossible to get any photos that didn’t include people literally crawling all over the various design items. Annoying!
Through endless patience, I did manage to get decent shots of the crazy cool Midcentury sofa and armchair, both upholstered in fabric covered in lifelike images of many different writhing and colorful snakes. Fun!
The Spaghetti-patterned floors and wallpapers definitely detracted from the upholstery design, but that was obviously intentional.
Really beautiful and comfortable as well!
See photos of the full Toiletpaper Paradise Installation at Cadillac House at This Link!
We set out on a very satisfying Street Art Safari this past weekend in Williamsburg, Brooklyn — a great neighborhood to in which to capture the Big Game, such as this really vibrant Cobra Mural by the artist known as Woodz. This mural is located on the south side of North 8th Street just east of Berry Street.
Here is a photo of the full mural, taken from its west end. You can see that an Eagle is also involved.
A bright red Lotus Flower caps the mural and its easternmost tip.
Here’s a better shot of the Eagle. Woodz is also a tattoo artist and owner of Magic Cobra Tattoo Society in Brooklyn. See more of his work at This Link!
If you happen to be on the NYC Subway, in transit to the American Museum of Natural History via the C Train, and you are not entirely sure which stop to get off at, don’t even worry about it. You will know when you are at the correct station (81st Street) when you see all kinds of colorful tile mosaic creatures crawling along the walls.
Korean artist Kim Joon has shifted his artistic direction dramatically since last year’s exhibit at Sundaram Tagore, Blue Jean Blues, in which he explored Pop Culture themes of Iconic Films and Classic Rock Bands in sculptures executed on fine porcelain, and pristine photographic renderings of those sculptures.
Island Aligator Detail
In his latest series, Island, Joon uses the computer software 3D Studio Max to create gorgeous digital prints that explore the volatile relationship between humanity and nature. This dramatic shift in focus of subject matter was spurred by two recent events in Joon’s life: witnessing the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, which happened close to his home, and a visit to the volcanic island of Jeju, considered one of the most beautiful and mystical islands in Korea.
Island Snake
Island Snake Detail
For this artist, the juxtaposition of these two experiences provoked an examination of the relationship between nature and humanity and the paradox of the fragility and strength of life. Joon’s stunningly rendered images depict a series of islands seemingly created from fragmented human bodies mapped by exotic animal skins, poised to unfurl as they rise from the ocean. According to Joon, the bodies raise the question of whether damaged lives can be repaired if humanity tries to create harmony with nature.
Island Shell
Island Shell Detail
Natural Selection is an exhibition that brings together the work of four radically different artists who share a deep-rooted connection to the natural world. Other artists whose work is represented in this exhibit include Tom Doyle,Hiroshi Senju and Ricardo Mazal.
Natural Selection Featuring New Works By Kim Joon will be on Exhibit Through December 21st, 2013, at Sundaram Tagore Gallery,Located at 547 West 27th Street (street level) in the Chelsea Gallery District, NY.
