It’s not every day that you can celebrate Paris in New York and LA at the same time, but thanks to the Paramount Studios NY backlot, you can! Paris Photo Los Angeles made its debut this weekend. For 17 years Paris Photo has cemented a strong presence in the photographic art fair market and it has taken the show worldwide with its debut U.S. show in Los Angeles. Over 60 galleries will be presenting their works alongside book publishers and food trucks. The majority of the works are staged in pavilions (studios), while some of the New York brownstones lining the streets of New (Faux) York house some of the galleries.
It’s a fun two-for one to see some beautiful photography while strolling the streets of New York, without taxi horns, fast walkers and the smell of garbage.. Here are some pics:
JR at Perrotin Gallery, Paris
Man Ray X JR, Vevey, Switzerland. Perrotin Booth @ Paris Photo LA
Andy Warhol designed BMW M1 Art Car #4 circa 1979
The fair closes today, if you’re in LA, go check it out!
I FLIPPED out when I saw these Polaroids of Grace Jones taken by Andy Warhol on Paper’s website, and immediately started scheming of ways to wrestle up some money with friends to make a bid on these pictures! Christie’s is holding an on-line auction featuring 218 lots of Studio 54 memorabilia (between April 26 and May 3). Just in time for your Saturday night, here are some of my favorite lots (besides Grace, of course).
Lot 1. Comped Drink Tickets. Photo Credit, Christie’s
Keith Haring and model. Photo by Andy Warhol. Photo Credit, Christie’s
Warhol and Halston. @ Studio 54. Photo Credit, Christie’s
More info on Christie’s on-line auction can be found here.
The highly anticipated Bay Lights LED sculpture was unveiled in a grand lighting ceremony tonight. Over 25,000 LED lights were installed on the west span of the San Francisco Bay Bridge making it the world’s largest light sculpture. Using a software algorithm the designer created unique, non-repeatable lighting patterns. I am transfixed by the live video feed of this.
An “idée fixe” sounds so much better than an obsession, right? You can pretty much make any horrible thing sound glamorous if you say it in French! Here are my January obsessions, (or what I just can’t get enough of THIS WEEK…) Since this little blog of mine focuses on Art, Food, Handbags and Music, I’ve picked one fixation from each category and chose to answer this simple question:
I can’t get enough __________
Here we go!
ART
I can’t get enough: Exhibition Catalogs.
Photo Credit: Charles White, Love Letter #1 c/o Amazon.com
Every exhibit that I see usually involves me getting a coffee table book to commemorate the event. I basically need more coffee tables to hold them all, but nevertheless I love them. One show that I still kick myself for missing (besides Cindy Sherman at SF MOMA), was “Now Dig This” at the Hammer. This show explored the sociopolitical dynamics of Black Los Angeles and the artists working in L.A. between 1960-1980. This catalog highlights some amazing work by over 35 artists including Charles White, Betye Saar and Fred Eversley. The show was part of Pacific Standard Time, a city-wide collaborative retrospective on the birth of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. I have been scouring the pages of this catalog eager to learn more about these artists whose talent has been largely overlooked by the mainstream critical art establishment.
FOOD
I cant’t get enough: Bar Ama
On Saturday my Instagram feed was filled with pictures of chorizo queso and frito pie from Bar Ama. They looked so good that I had to trek down to the arts district yesterday to check it out for lunch. The food was amazing. This tex-mex outpost by Baco Mercat’s esteemed chef, Josef Centeno features comfort food that pays homage to the women in his life. I had the Branzino ceviche, guacamole, puffy tacos of grilled marinated shrimp and pork barbacoa, and a yummy chocolate rice pudding for dessert. But what really got me obsessed about this place was the Baco Pop, the chefs own soda. I had a delicious tamarindo/mango concoction that I am craving as I type. It was light and refreshing without being overly carbonated and sweet. I need to get a case of that stuff stat.
HANDBAGS
I can’t get enough: Clare Vivier
Seriously. They’re local, the bags are beautiful, and the flagship store in Silverlake is adorable. Oh and they monogram! Gotta love that! I’ve been posting their bags on my Polyvore and Pinterst boards for a while now and decided it was high time to get one of her bags. I can’t get enough of this clutch!
MUSIC
I can’t get enough: Trap
Maybe I’m going to too many spin classes with high energy music, but I am obsessed with Trap music (a year late, I guess)! Trap is basically a big ol’ jumble of hip hop, house, dub and trance all smashed together in an energized package. Much to my husband’s dismay, I’ve been dancing to and playing this song non-stop:
And in the spirit of the post, since I’ve said “I just can’t get enough” about a million times, I now have Depeche Mode stuck in my head Look at how young Gahan, Gore and Fletcher look in this video! We will not speak of the decision to wear suspenders sans shirt here…
Andy Warhol was notorious for many things, but you may not know that one of them was his “Time Capsules”. The artist would collect ephemera, art, and other inspirational items used as source material for his work. The items were boxed, catalogued and archived for a subsequent unveiling. He began boxing these capsules in 1974, and they went virtually undiscovered until after his passing in 1987. The Warhol Museum has been unveiling the Time Capsules as part of it’s “Out of the Box” program where full time cataloguers manage the archiving and documenting of the contents of over 617 capsules created by the artist.
This unique live unveiling was just posted by the Museum and it is a fascinating glimpse into the artist’s life.
For Information Science nerds, voyeurs and fans of the artist, this footage is fascinating. It got me thinking about my own time capsule. If I had to create one for 2012, what would I put in it? Limiting myself to 5 items (including Art, Food Fashion and Music) that sum up 2012 here’s what they would be:
1. My “Keep Calm and Listen to Hip Hop” shirt. Because, let’s face it, we just can’t get enough of the many iterations of Keep Calm can we?
2. Yayoi Kusama Dots. Had I purchased a piece from the Yayoi Kusama Louis Vuitton handbag collection, I’d include the box and a piece of the gift wrapped tissue paper (mais non, not the bag!). Why? I just think Yayoi Kusama had a fantastic year. She hit the cultural trifecta in 2012 (Whitney and Tate retrospectives in addition to the LV collab)
“Yellow Trees” Photo Credit: Vogue
3. The only person that had a bigger year than Yayoi Kusama was probably Psy, so I probably would have to include a copy of “Gangam Style”, just for laughs. But jokes aside, my musical contribution would be the first album my husband produced this year. I was really proud of it.
4. And in the inanimate realm, the only “thing” that had a bigger year than Psy is KALE. Kale was EVERYWHERE in 2012. I’d include a bag of dried Kale Chips that would probably disintegrate into a green pile of dust…Or maybe I would include a can of Warhol designed Campbell’s Tomato Soup from Target, just for the irony of it all.
5. Lastly, I would include a copy of Newsweek. After 79 years the magazine will discontinue it’s print version. The poignancy of that decision is quite sobering. To include a magazine in an antiquated conceptual relic such as a time capsule seems befitting. I can’t help but wonder if the “digital” versions of time capsules will capture the same sense of mystery, excitement and wonder as the old ones do.
What about you? If you could capture the essence of 2012 in a time capsule, what would you put in your box?
So, I go away to Hawaii and Ojai for a week and a 1/2 and come back to find out about this? The only thing Black about my Black Friday was my floppy sun hat, I pulled a “ctrl+alt+del” on Cyber Monday, but I have to admit this Target/Neiman Marcus #Holiday24 sale hooked me. Not sure if this collab is a sign of the apocalypse, but I will say this, the designers participating in this have contributed some really cool pieces. Hands down, my favorite are the mismatched dessert plates by Tracy Reese. LOVE THESE.
Last year I wrote a post singing the praises of museum stores being my “Happy Place”. Well, a close second to museum stores is Target. I don’t know what it is about the place, but there’s something gratifying about going to Target after work to stock up on t-shirts, greeting cards, makeup bags, natural hair products and cheap earrings. Best part is I can usually get outta there having spent less than $50.00.
So after a particularly hellish day I went to Target and snapped up some cute “Thank You” notes (I collect stationery). Hmm, can writing imaginary Thank You notes to the annoying people who guest-starred in my day serve as an emotional catharsis?
~~”Hey dude, thank you for cutting me off in your U-Haul trailer at 80 MPH only to slam your brakes and cruise down to 50 MPH… Really appreciate it, champ. I didn’t even think it was possible for a U-Haul to hit speeds over 50; turns out I learned something new today. Thanks!”
~~”Thanks gum-popping Lady who let the Elevator doors slam shut in my face as I was running late this morning. How did you know I like to wearmy cafe lattes on my white jacket? So thoughtful!”
~~”Dear Co-Worker who has made it their life’s mission to bait me into political debates in the office. Thanks for going out of your way to make my day “awkward”. Please share more about your disdain for entitlements…Smooches!”
On second thought, why would I waste such cute stationery?
Anyway, the REAL reason for my Target trip today was Andy Warhol. I had heard that Target had released a series of Limited Edition designed Campbell’s Soup cans featuring Warhol’s iconic screen print, each sold for $.75. The designs were released to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Warhol’s soup can paintings, which were also exhibited at L.A.’s Ferus Gallery that year.
Photo Credit: L.A. Times, Culture Monster
I strolled into my local suburban Target expecting that they wouldn’t carry them; much to my dismay, it turns out they SOLD OUT completely Sunday morning! I was momentarily gobsmacked, but I live near Cal Arts, so I guess I should have expected it. I hate missing out on good Art Hype at bargain prices…
*slowly breaks out Thank You note and pen*
“”Dear Tomato Soup Can Hoarder: Thanks for NOT leaving some Warhol for the rest of us art starved suburbanites…’mmm…mmm (not) Good’”.
Alas, I guess I can settle for my cool DIY Andy Warhol Screen Print iPad App created by the Warhol Museum. This is AWESOME by the way. I may Tweet my masterpiece tomorrow…
RT @arresteddev: Tomorrow on #ADWorldTour, the stair car will be at The Grove in West Hollywood, CA from 2-10p. You're gonna get some hop-o… 4 days ago
Look at how young Gahan, Gore and Fletcher look in this video! We will not speak of the decision to wear suspenders sans shirt here…
