Now open: Musée de l’Elysée presents the first Swiss exhibition dedicated to the work of famed American photographer Sally Mann (one of ArtSlope’s all-time favorite artists). “The Family, The Land” is devoted to Mann’s work from the last 15 years, powerful examinations of the troubling themes of intimacy and the inexorable passage of time.

Sally Mann’s work is centered on portraits of her children, the result of close, observation as they grew into young adults. The portraits are complemented by landscapes from Mann’s native South (Virginia), revealing hauntingly beautiful and strangely timeless places. Featured series include “Immediate Family,” “Virginia,” “Deep South,” and “What Remains.”

Notably, her work is distinguished by a specific technique, simultaneously traditional and inventive: the use of the large format camera together with a selective use of nineteenth-century processes. Mann is also admired for her mastery of optics and related exposure times, some of which can last several minutes.

*Above: Sally Mann’s “Virginia 42,” 2004

*Above: Sally Mann’s “Emmett 15,” 2004

*Above: Sally Mann’s “Candy Cigarette,” 1989

*Above: Sally Mann’s “Valentine Windsor,” 1998

“The Family, The Land” runs through June 6, 2010.

Musée de l’Elysée
18, avenue de l’Elysée
1014 Lausanne – Switzerland
Tél. ++41 21 316 99 11

*All images © Sally Mann. Courtesy Gagosian Gallery.

Fresh off its spring 2009 showing at London’s Royal Academy of Arts, where it was the surprise smash hit of the season, Graphic Heroes, Magic Monsters: Japanese Prints by Utagawa Kuniyoshi comes to New York’s Japan Society this week, marking the first major exhibition of Kuniyoshi’s work in the U.S. in nearly 30 years. Kuniyoshi’s vivid scenes from history and legend, wildly popular 150 years ago, are cited as a major influence on the work of today’s manga and anime artists.

*Above: Kuniyoshi’s “Mitsukuni Defies a Skeleton Specter,” 1845-46. Color woodblock print, 14 5/6 x 29 7/8 in. The British Museum, JA 1915.8-23.0915, 0916. Photo ©Trustees of The British Museum.

With thrashing sea creatures, samurai warriors, and a giant, looming skeleton, Kuniyoshi goes beyond traditional Ukiyo-e printmaking (“Pictures of the Floating World”) themes of landscape, kabuki theater, and beautiful women. He presents action-packed tales drawn from the history, religion, folklore, and myths of Japan, China, and other Asian countries; comic “crazy pictures” often featuring animals impersonating humans; and exotic experiments with foreign subject matter and European techniques of visual representation.

*Above: Kuniyoshi’s “Minamoto no Raikō and His Retainers Battle with the Earth Spider,” early 1820’s. Color woodblock print, R: 14 1/2 x 10 1/8 in., C:14 1/2 x 10 1/8 in., L:14 1/2 x 10 1/8 in. American Friends of The British Museum (Arthur R. Miller Collection) 20904. Photo ©Trustees of The British Museum.

“Kuniyoshi’s work can be seen as foreshadowing the visual storytelling of contemporary manga, anime, and computer and video games,” says Joe Earle, Director of Japan Society Gallery and organizer of the exhibition. “Like a number of the top creators in these genres of today, he was an eccentric who specialized in comic figures and action scenes sold in vast numbers at low prices to an insatiable and visually sophisticated audience.”

*Above: Kuniyoshi’s “Hatsuhana Prays under a Waterfall,” c. 1842. Color woodblock print, 14 3/8 x 9 7/8 in. American Friends of The British Museum (The Arthur R. Miller Collection) 15606. Photo ©Trustees of The British Museum.

*Above: Kuniyoshi’s “Morozumi Masakiyo Kills Himself in Battle,” c. 1848. Color woodblock print, 14 3/8 x 10 1/8 in. American Friends of The British Museum (The Arthur R. Miller Collection) 15009. Photo ©Trustees of The British Museum.

Graphic Heroes, Magic Monsters runs from March 12 to June 13, 2010.

Japan Society Gallery
333 E 47th St
New York, NY 10017

*All images courtesy of the Japan Society Gallery. From top:

The latest women’s collection by Belgian designer Tim Van Steenbergen evokes waterlines or smoke rings through a combination of strong lines and drapery. Mixing shiny and mat, fluidity and structure, masculinity and femininity, Van Steenbergen’s A/W 2010-2011 ladies collection brings some real excitement to the coming fall’s fashion landscape.

Expressing an urban elegance, the silhouettes are undeniably modern, with a late ’50′s/early ’60′s twist. Continuing the theme of fluidity found in his most recent men’s collection, Van Steenbergen found inspiration in the motion of sculptor/painter Lucio Fontana. With one bold, Fontana-like stroke, a dress becomes a sculptured canvas, with slashed front panels and frayed figures. Geometric construction, cording and zippers are detailed with a raw, cut finish.

The new line combines textures like jacquard cotton, ribbed jersey, waxed cotton wool, crêpe wool, tweeds, leather look, silk, an exclusive ottoman print, degrade knits, corduroy, stretch and stonewashed leather. Colors are primarily sober, and looks are complemented with sunglasses from Theo by Tim Van Steenbergen and shoes Tim Van Steenbergen – handmade by Ambiorix.

*All images courtesy of Tim Van Steenbergen.

Now open at L.A.’s Prism, “Araki: A Perspective” presents 70 works by world renowned Japanese photographer, Nobuyoshi Araki. Describing his technique, Araki says, “What’s important in my work is always the relationship between me and the object – - it’s a kind of love story. I don’t concern myself with why a relationship starts or where it goes. The most important thing is just the relationship between the two of us at that moment. This world becomes our world.”

*Above: “From Close to Range” (diptych) by Nobuyoshi Araki. 1991/2007. Black and White print. Each image 60 x 40 inches (152.4 x 101.5 cm)

*Above: “Colorscapes” by Nobuyoshi Araki. 1991. C print, 40 x 30 inches (101.6 x 76.2 cm)

Based primarily in Tokyo, Araki documents what he sees in the streets, exploring the various themes that exist in the city. With over 450 photography books to his name, Araki has explored a wide variety of topics, most notably the love of his wife, Yoko, in the intimate series, “Yoko, My Love.” Araki has also done commercial work, recently photographing music sensation Lady Gaga for Vogue Hommes Japan, in his signature “bondage style” poses.

*Above: Araki portrait by Sante D’Orazio

“Araki: A Perspective” is on display from March 6th – May 9th at:

PRISM
8746 West Sunset Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA 90069

All images courtesy of Prism.

A major new installation opens this weekend at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. New York-based artist Emilie Clark‘s “My Garden Pets” – a series of fluid watercolor and graphite amalgamations of flora and fauna – explores the work of 19th-century American naturalist (and Darwin collaborator) Mary Treat. Specifically, they address the concept of ‘the beneficial insect,’ depicting acts which often go unseen by the human eye – a microscopic war between plants and insects.

Explaining the inspiration behind her work, Clark says, “When I first began using Victorian women naturalists as the point of departure for my art in 2003, I discovered an unanticipated freedom. By inserting myself into the dynamics of the work of these historical naturalists and into the worlds opened up by their lives and practices, I was able to live more fully in my own constructed world of art making – a world that, like theirs, emerges out of close observation of ambiguous objects and feeds off the constant flux between categories generated by that observation. Spores, pollen, egg sacks, hives–nature is filled with tiny worlds that are at once contained and whole and yet built or woven out of infinite parts. The role of a naturalist involves the investigation of these parts, the dismantling and the reconstruction of them.”

To create the series, Clark spent four months on site at the Garden as its first artist-in-residence, researching in its libraries and talking to BBG horticulturalists, scientists, and other staff members. Her project combines works on paper in which galls, thorns, canes, beetles, aphids, nematodes, leaves and pods flow in and out of each other, in accumulation and transformation, with an audio piece drawn from the extensive correspondences between Treat and Charles Darwin and Asa Gray. In the tradition of the natural history museum, display cases will contain a variety of plant specimens sent by Treat to Harvard University, facsimiles of original correspondence, and the artist’s mapping of her process. A Victorian terrarium and armchair will complete the installation.

The exhibition title refers to a treatise on beneficial insects penned by Treat in 1887, describing a kind of unwitting cross-species collaboration, when insects help plants survive the attacks of their predators. “’My Garden Pets’ links Treat’s specific expertise in beneficial insects to the larger institution of the scientific correspondence, exploring the ways in which Treat herself might have performed something like the role of the beneficial insect for her famous male colleagues, “ says Clark.

Asked to further describe the impact of the era’s gender divide on Treat’s work, Clark explains: “Perhaps the most emblematic example of the gender divide for women professionals during the Victorian era was that Treat was commissioned by the Brooklyn Ethical Association to write an obituary tribute to Asa Gray. Her obituary was published, but because women were not allowed to be members of the association, it was presented by a man.”

She goes on, “During Treat’s life, it was extremely difficult for a woman to pursue an academic career, say in the way that Asa Gray had. The first public university to admit women was not opened until 1884. There were only a few co-ed private colleges and a hand full of women’s colleges. Even so, women who did go to college were generally taught home economics. Treat had no formal education. Asa Gray and Charles Darwin both had received formal education and Gray remained tied to an academic position for the duration of his career. In Gray’s case, the academic affiliation afforded him all sorts of perks—libraries, research funds and assistants, academic publishing, lectures and colleagues. Darwin was independently wealthy so he was not dependent on academic affiliation. Still, his relationship to his professors at Cambridge, in addition to his class position, played a key role in every opportunity—from being invited on the Voyage of the Beagle to publishing, organization affiliations and his ability to acquire specimens.”

“Mary Treat was entirely self-taught and dependent on income from her publishing. She collected numerous specimens for Gray and Darwin, but was only given postage for her efforts. She writes in a letter to Darwin:

‘Dr. Gray asked me to publish the Sarracenia article in the American Naturalist, and you may wonder at my selecting a literary magazine rather than a scientific one, but I am wholly dependent upon my own exertions, and must go where they pay best.’

“So just as beneficial insects can help deter injurious ones, allowing plants to thrive, Treat’s extensive research and specimen collection for Asa Gray and Charles Darwin, contributed to the advancement of their theories, their knowledge, and their recognition—she helped them to thrive.”

“My Garden Pets” runs March 6th – May 23rd, and is part of The Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s 100th anniversary celebration. For more information, visit www.bbg.org.

Located at:
Steinhardt Conservancy Gallery,
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
900 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, NY

Admission to the exhibition is free with admission to BBG: $8 for adults and $4 for senior citizens (65 and older) and students with ID. Children under 12, all school groups, and Garden members are admitted free at all times.

*Images: (from top) “Untitled, BBG-6 from My Garden Pets,” “Untitled, BBG-1 from My Garden Pets,” “Untitled, BBG-3 from My Garden Pets,” “Untitled, BBG-4 from My Garden Pets,” and “Untitled, BBG-2 from My Garden Pets.” All 2009. All watercolor, ink and graphite on paper, measuring 22″x15″.
All images courtesy of the artist, Emilie Clark.

Running through March 7th in New York, the 2010 edition of the Armory Show features contemporary artworks from 167 contemporary dealers, 66 modern dealers and 10 non-profits.

*Above: Blair Thurman’s “Choke All Day Sucker,” 2008. Acrylic on shaped canvas, 90x20cm. Courtesy Galerie Frank Elbaz, Paris.

*Above, Chuck Close and Friend on Opening Day, photo by Carrie Villines.

A major arts destination (and scene) for artists, galleries, collectors, critics and curators from all over the world, this year’s Armory Show (the twelfth in a row) at Pier 94 premieres new works by living artists. Running simultaneously, The Armory Show –Modern specializes in modern and secondary market material on Pier 92.

*Above: “Cosmocity” by Aki Kuroda, 2010. Mixed media on paper, 75x105cm, Courtesy of Galerie Maeght, Paris.

Location:
Piers 92 and 94
55th Street and 12th Avenue
New York, NY

For more information, visit www.thearmoryshow.com.

*Images courtesy of The Armory Show, Inc.

Last week, design legend Milton Glaser became the first designer ever to be awarded the National Medal of Arts. The award was presented by President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama in the East Room of The White House. In addition to Mr. Glaser, this year’s recipients included Bob Dylan, Clint Eastwood, Maya Lin, Rita Moreno, Jessye Norman, Joseph P. Riley, Jr., Frank Stella, Michael Tilson Thomas, and John Williams.

The official citation reads, “Milton Glaser, for a lifetime devoted to improving the way people communicate through innovation in graphic design, and for memorable visual artifacts that challenge contemporary artists and delight all Americans.”

*Above, Glaser’s iconic 1966 Dylan poster for Columbia Records.

Born in 1929, Milton Glaser was educated at the High School of Music and Art and the Cooper Union art school in New York and, via a Fulbright Scholarship, the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna, Italy. He co-founded Pushpin Studios in 1954, founded New York Magazine with Clay Felker in 1968, established Milton Glaser, Inc. in 1974, and teamed with Walter Bernard in 1983 to form the publication design firm WBMG. Throughout his career, Glaser has been a prolific creator of posters and prints. His artwork has been featured in exhibits worldwide, including one-man shows at both the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His work is in the permanent collections of many museums. Glaser also is a renowned graphic and architectural designer with a body of work ranging from the iconic logo to complete graphic and decorative programs for the restaurants in the World Trade Center in New York. He is Acting Chairman and a longtime faculty member at New York’s School of Visual Arts.

The National Medal of Arts is a White House initiative managed by the National Endowment for the Arts, honoring recipients for their outstanding achievements and support of the arts. Each year, the NEA organizes and oversees the National Medal of Arts nomination process and notifies the artists of their selection to receive a medal, the nation’s highest honor for artistic excellence.

*Images: (top) courtesy of the NEA, (middle) 1966 poster for Columbia Records by Milton Glaser, courtesy of the School of Visual Arts; (bottom) Milton Glaser portrait by Molly Kromhout, also courtesy of SVA.

In September of 2009, perfumer Anne McCain traveled to the city of San Miguel de Allende in Mexico to spend one week volunteering with a team of friends at Casa de los Angeles, a day care center for orphans and children of single working mothers serving over 100 children from 73 families.

Hoping to convey the sense of compassion she experienced as a result of the trip, McCain created Humanity Fragrance. A graduate of the Grasse Institute of Perfumery in the south of France, and the founder of MCMC Fragrances, McCain turned to the fine art of perfumery after an extended interest in photography as another way to flatten an experience into something tangible, yet ethereal.

Inspired by the icon of the sacred heart found in Mexico, collaborator Lance McGregor designed a fountain with a glass anatomical heart which sits atop a stone base. The heart will be cast and hand-crafted by fellow Brooklyn glass artist Alan Iwamura. Perfumed water will flow gently and calmly over the heart and cycle back; all of the mechanics for the fountain will be solar powered.

In conjunction with the New York City Parks Department and the Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn, the Humanity perfume fountain will be installed in McGolrick Park for six months beginning in the summer of 2010. During the summer, programs and events will take place at the Humanity fountain. McCain plans to give lectures and workshops on basic perfumery and aromatherapy, teach art classes for children using natural materials from the park, and invite other artists and community members to participate.

*Above, Humanity Fragrance bottles.

Describing the inspiration behind her project, McCain says, “In college, I studied photography and loved it as an art because I felt I was trying to capture a moment or a memory in a tangible object. I came into perfumery almost as an accident. I took a natural perfume workshop and fell in love with the idea of these precious, distilled plant ingredients being mixed together for a sensual,psychological impact. I think we all can relate to smells conjuring memory, and so I transferred mediums from photography to perfume as a way now to sort of write stories with scent. I like it because fragrance is ethereal – we can’t touch or see it, and that’s how memory is.”

The Humanity Fragrance and Fountain projects work in coordination with TRUST ART, an organization dedicated to bringing inspiring art projects into the public realm.

To learn more about the Humanity Fragrance project, including inspiration a gallery for photos from Anne’s time in Mexico, visit HumanityFragrance.com.
*Image courtesy of Anne McCain.

30-year-old Dutch designer Joris Laarman‘s aesthetic merges cutting-edge technology and the life-sciences to create works of unexpected beauty. For the past five years, Laarman’s dedicated himself to exploratory material research and translating science into functional objects of beauty. The resulting body of work – including a Chandelier that captures patterns inherent to flocks of birds, and a sustainable lamp made from living cells – expands on his core investigations, and will be on display beginning this week at New York’s Freidman Benda.

*Above, Laarman’s Bone Chair

*Above, Joris Laarman

In 2008, Laarman’s Bone Chair and Bone Chaise (his first two works since graduating from Eindhoven) were displayed in MoMA’s exhibition, “Design and the Elastic Mind.” This marked a major milestone in his career, and the chair subsequently was added to the museum’s permanent collection.

Laarman’s Bone Chair revolutionized the design process by using an algorithm to translate the complexity, proportion and functionality of human bone and tree growth into a chair form. In other words, he designed it according to the way bones develop; growing where strength is needed and shrinking where it is not. The algorithm, originally used by the German car industry, enabled him to reduce and strengthen his designs by optimizing material allocation, weight and stability, while minimizing material input. In Laarman’s words, he sculpted “using mother nature’s underlying codes.”

The show will be on view March 4 – April 10 at Friedman Benda, 515 West 26th Street, New York, NY.

*Images courtesy of Friedman Benda.

For this Thursday, in honor of the Guggenheim Museum‘s 50th Anniversary, the band Animal Collective has collaborated with experimental visual artist Danny Perez on a site-specific performance piece that will transform the museum’s rotunda into a kinetic, psychedelic environment.

Tickets are on sale now (details below) for the Thursday, March 4th performances. The new collaborative work, entitled “Transverse Temporal Gyrus,” will feature original recorded music along with video projections, costumes, and props, rendering the band members and performers into intense, visual abstractions. The performance will debut in conjunction with the Guggenheim’s current exhibit, “Contemplating the Void: Interventions in the Guggenheim Museum” and in the context of its “Tino Sehgal” exhibit (for which the entire Guggenheim rotunda is cleared of art objects for the first time in the museum’s history).

Left: Animal Collective. Photo by: Adriano Fagundes. Right: Danny Perez. Photo by: Kathy Sheehan

Two performances will run continuously – one from 4:30 to 7:30 pm and a second from 9 pm to midnight – and guests are invited to wander the museum rotunda and ramps to fully immerse themselves in the experience.

Venue: Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Avenue, New York
Date: Thursday, March 4, 2010
Tickets: $25 members; $30 non-members
General admission, all ages
Limited capacity; advance online ticket sales only available at:
guggenheim.org/animal-collective

*Image courtesy of the Guggenheim Museum.