Now showing at San Francisco’s Contemporary Jewish Museum:
Maira Kalman: Various Illuminations (of a Crazy World)

“I was out walking the dear dog and I saw 500 things that made me want to make art.”
- Maira Kalman

The first major museum retrospective of award-winning illustrator, author and designer Maira Kalman is open now at San Francisco’s Contemporary Jewish Museum. Perhaps best known for her covers and drawings for The New Yorker, Kalman’s art characteristically shines a joyful, insightful, and often humorous light on contemporary life. The New York-based, Tel Aviv-born artist has written and illustrated over a dozen books for children and adults, authored two celebrated illustrated blogs for The New York Times, and collaborated with the likes of fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi and choreographer Mark Morris.

The exhibition, organized by the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania, features a selection of 100 original works on paper that span thirty years of illustration for publication as well as less widely seen works in photography, embroidery, textiles, and performance.

The works on view – from preliminary sketches to paintings – are hung as a running narrative of personal memories, cultural references, life’s abundant pleasures and distractions, and the chaos of profound events – all rendered in Kalman’s now signature blend of written text and drawings and infused with her keen sense of the absurd.

“I think everything I do is narrative,” Kalman says. “It’s things that are from my life, and things I’ve seen, and things I’ve seen in books. It’s always telling stories.” She goes on, “As an artist, I’m reporting the big things and the small things. And sometimes you don’t know which is which.”

Describing the inspiration behind her work – her curious nature and daily observation – Kalman says: “Being curious is a completely natural part of it, and being a busybody, and wanting to know what people are doing, and why, and how it works. And why are you wearing those shoes? And what’s that hole puncher for? The nature of curiosity is both about how people live their lives and about the bigger picture of how the world works.”

Various Illuminations (of a Crazy World) runs through October 26th.

above: Maira Kalman, Crosstown Boogie Woogie, 1995, gouache on paper, 15 3/8 x 11 1/2 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Julie Saul Gallery, New York.

*above: Maira Kalman, Keep Calm, 2007, gouache on paper, 11 3/4 x 8 3/4 inches. Collection of Barbara Becker and Chad Gallant.

above: Maira Kalman, Woman with Face Net, 2000, gouache on paper, 17 x 14 3/4 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Julie Saul Gallery, New York.

above: Maira Kalman, Man Dances on Salt, 2007, gouache on paper, 9 x 7 3/4 inches. Collection of Tom and Claire O’Connor.

above: Maira Kalman, Self-Portrait (with Pete), 2004–5, gouache on paper, 16 x 15 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Julie Saul Gallery, New York.

above: portrait of Maira Kalman, courtesy of Rick Meyerowitz.

*Images courtesy of The Contemporary Jewish Museum.

Inspired by Mexico’s rich glass works tradition, Mexico City-based artist Valeria Florescano translates that legacy into modern home accessories, jewelry and installations. Florescano shares some of her favorite projects – and the creative rationales behind them – with us below.

Valeria Florescano has been awarded scholarships for Pilchuck School of Glass, Corning Museum of Glass, and Penland Arts and Crafts School. She is an active member of the Board of the School of Design at Universidad Anáhuac, México.

She has shown in galleries and museums in Mexico and abroad in the Netherlands, the United States, Japan and Ukraine. Her glass work is part of the Vitro Glass Collection in Monterrey, N.L. Mexico, and the National Museum of Lviv in Ukraine.

Florescano is currently working in the notable glass factory Nouvel in Mexico city while completing an MFA in sculpture at the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas at the National University of México, UNAM.

Enjoy!

above: “Bulbs,” made of recycled glass. Technique: blown glass into optic mold. Length: 17cms. Width: 6 cms. (At the widest part), mouth ø: 2 cms. According to Florescano: “It was my intention to reverse the flower vase idea. The ‘bulbs’ function as glass flowers, and therefore become the prominent object to contemplate. This design enhances the stem. The ‘bulbs’ are unifleur vases designed for soft stem flowers like the calla lily, tulips, daffodil, agapanthus, or the African lily. The idea was that the stem would fit perfectly into the hole and work as a cork, thus preventing the water inside from spilling. The design lets you use them horizontally and vertically, or to place them as sculptures in an upside down position. When used as unifleurs without a vase, the ‘bulbs’ can play with gravity. They can be held together from the stem with a knot so the bulbs settle in balance forming an architectural like structure.”

above: The Mangle Unifleur are a set of vases made in borosilicate glass, available in three sizes.

above: Manita rings. Technique: found object, wax casted in Silver .925 . Says Florescano: “This ring has a sense of romanticism. It also reminds me of Kahlo´s finger pieces. It can be used as a pendant, while it is reminiscent of antique door knobs, but the ring actually has movement. When you place it on your finger, the hand rests in your own, in a caressing gesture.”

above: Sol-O rings. Technique: Silver .925 and goldleaf. “This ring is based in the circular form. Both the wire and the sheet of metal started as a circle, and only with a simple twist and a cut we obtain this strong form,” says Florescano.

above: The Tehuana Goblet Technique: Installation with hand blown venetian pieces and video performance. Explains Florescano: “In the frame of the Tehuana Goblet exhibit held in … Oaxaca this past summer, I presented works that refer [simultaneously] to the garment of the isthmus and to blown glass, particularly the style known as Verre à la façon de Venise…
“Both practices share parallel processes and circumstances; therefore, the exhibition allows me the opportunity to work with certain ideas and concepts of interest in regard to the historical trajectory of objects, their development from a natural state passing through an utilitarian condition (from which its subsistence depends) into a higher degree of sophistication in usage.
“The geographical conditions of the isthmus of Tehuantepec and the Venetian archipielago site are both zones in the crossroads of the old commercial routes between east and west of their respective continents. This particularity has been translated into various aspects of cultural richness and hybridization where habits, beliefs and needs expanded the expressive local languages. Today, it is [important] to revisit these cultural wonders in order to think carefully [about] the skills and shortages of our present. Therefore, trying to approach and strengthen different fields of knowledge, Tehuana Goblet presents itself as a container of ideas on identity, ritual, richness and seduction.”

*All images courtesy of the artist.

Tsunami Glassworks Incorporated, one of ArtSlope.com’s faves, introduces a new series of custom designed platters called PETAL. Inspired by the soft curve of a flower petal, design partners Kriston Gene and Eva Milinkovic have created hand blown and etched platters measuring 20″x8″, available either etched or shiny. And there are eight color combinations to choose from: black/iris, cherry/turquoise, olive/aqua, citron/jade, strawberry/saffron, citron/saffron and amethyst black.

For a list of retailers, click here.

*All images courtesy of Tsunami Glassworks Incorporated.

World renowned French architect Jean Nouvel has designed England’s 2010 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion. (Several images below!) Launched in 2000, this ongoing, annual commission invites internationally acclaimed architects and designers to create a temporary (3-month) structure on the Gallery’s lawn. The entire process allots only six months from invitation to completion, an opportunity to demonstrate each designer or architect’s skill and talent.

This year, the gallery celebrates its 40th anniversary, and Nouvel’s project is his first completed building in the UK. A contrast of lightweight materials and dramatic, metal cantilevered structures, Nouvel’s entire design is rendered in a vivid red that simultaneously contrasts with the green of its park setting. The color reflects the iconic British images of traditional telephone boxes, post boxes and London buses. The building consists of bold geometric forms, large retractable awnings and a freestanding wall that climbs 12m above the lawn, sloping at a gravity defying angle. Glass, polycarbonate and fabric structures create a versatile system of interior and exterior spaces.

Around the Pavilion, Nouvel has created spaces for outdoor play, bringing the tradition of French civic parks to London. Red table tennis tables, draughts, chess, frisbees and kites will be available for the public to play with throughout the summer months. The flexible auditorium will accommodate the Serpentine Gallery café, as well as Park Nights, the Gallery’s lecture and event program, and will culminate in the annual Serpentine Gallery Marathon on October 16th and 17th. The theme of the 5th Serpentine Gallery Marathon – The Marathon of Maps for the 21 Century – considers maps’ hold on our imaginations, and their ability to define our understanding of geography, scale, space and ideas. During the event, artists, writers and scientists will present maps encompassing their experience of the world today.

Jean Nouvel is responsible for the design of over 200 buildings the world over, including the Copenhagen Concert Hall (2009); the Ferrari Factory, Modena (2009); 40 Mercer Street, New York (2008); the Musée du quai Branly, Paris (2006); the extension to the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid (2006); the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis (2001); the Torre Agbar, Barcelona (2000); the Culture and Congress Centre, Lucerne (2000), and the Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris (1989). (Images below!)

Previous Pavilion architects include: Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, SANAA, 2009; Frank Gehry, 2008; Olafur Eliasson and Kjetil Thorsen, 2007; Rem Koolhaas and Cecil Balmond, with Arup, 2006; Álvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura with Cecil Balmond, Arup, 2005; MVRDV with Arup, 2004 (un-realised); Oscar Niemeyer, 2003; Toyo Ito with Arup, 2002; Daniel Libeskind with Arup, 2001; and Zaha Hadid, 2000.

*above: Jean Nouvel. Photograph © Gaston Bergeret

*above: Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2010, Designed by Jean Nouvel. © Ateliers Jean Nouvel.

*above: Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2010, Designed by Jean Nouvel. © Ateliers Jean Nouvel. Photograph: Philippe Ruault

*above: Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2010, Designed by Jean Nouvel. © Ateliers Jean Nouvel.

*above: Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2010, Designed by Jean Nouvel. © Ateliers Jean Nouvel. Photograph: Philippe Ruault

*above: Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2010, Designed by Jean Nouvel. © Ateliers Jean Nouvel. Photograph: Philippe Ruault

*above: Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2010, Designed by Jean Nouvel. © Ateliers Jean Nouvel. Photograph: Philippe Ruault

*above:Jean Nouvel, Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris, 1991-95. © Jean Nouvel. Photograph: Philippe Ruault

*above: Jean Nouvel, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, 2007. © Jean Nouvel

*above: Jean Nouvel, Agbar Tower, Barcelona, 1999-2005. © Jean Nouvel. Photograph: Philippe Ruault

*All images courtesy of Serpentine Gallery.

Opening tomorrow at Vienna’s Walking-Chair Gallery: Elmar Zeilhofer’s
“I tried to play the guitar. I failed. Then I built my own string things.”

Always on the lookout for new challenges, artist Elmar Zeilhofer wished to learn the guitar. But instead of wading through exhausting music lessons, Zeilhofer decided to craft a simple instrument for himself to play. His very first “Sound Box” – timbered of ordinary materials from the local DIY store – sounded so fascinating to him that he immediately made a follow-up model: and thus Zeilhofer’s first cigar box ukulele was born.

Currently, his collection consists of 42 different “Sound Box” instruments, most built of recycled material. Each of these unique string instruments has its own character, and is regarded by the artist as a coherent part of an evolutionary chain. Perfection is not important for Zeilhofer; his main goal is the joy of experimenting and exploring the musical and engineering possibilities. New experiences gained during the crafting process flow into follow-up models made in various workshops at his studio.

Walking-Chair and its founders, Karl Emilio Pircher and Fidel Peugeot, are proud to present 28 of Elmar Zeilhofer’s string instruments, now through September 9th. The various soundscapes of the instruments will be introduced within a live performance by “Indowa probt.”

I tried to play the guitar. I failed. Then I built my own string things.
July 2nd – September 9th, 2010
Exhibition opening: July 2nd 2010, 6:00 p.m.
Location: Walking-Chair Gallery, Rasumofskygasse 10, AT-1030 Wien

**All images courtesy of Walking-Chair Gallery.

When approaching their designs for a new pot collection with traditional Austrian enamel company Riess Email, young Vienna-based design duo POLKA chose to reimagine the ways in which we interact with this common object. Asking questions like “How many handles does a pot need anyway?” and “What makes a functional object?” the pair created a new form of pot, one in which the idea of the pot is mutated and modified, rearranging our expectations for interactions with daily-used objects. The resulting collection of creatures entertain the user, allowing one to handle them as he or she sees fit, and encourages all of us to think about our daily routines and expectations.

Describing their playful approach to design, POLKA partners Marie Rahm and Monica Singer say:
“We like to observe, we like to surprise, we like to discover, we like to irritate, we like to find solutions, we like to tell stories, we like to entertain, we like to change the point of view . Above all, we like to create. And we like things.”

POLKA Pots are made on order.

POLKA product pleasure
Mariahilferstr. 9/7, 1060
Vienna, Austria
polkaproducts.com

* Photographs by Michael Stelzhammer. Images courtesy of POLKA.

One of the world’s most renowned architects, Zaha Hadid has been celebrated for a one-of-a-kind architectural language, based on fluid, organic shapes, always seemingly just beyond this world. For Summer 2010, she’s bringing her same creative language to a jewelry collection for Atelier Swarovski.

The Glace collection, as its called, consists of five pieces – bracelets, necklaces and rings – designed to be dramatically worn individually or as complementary pieces together. Each sculpted piece features colorful crystals suspended in clear resin, and every piece is available as one of only 50 in the exclusive collection.

According to Ms. Hadid:
“This enigmatic new Glace collection celebrates a powerful dichotomy between the purity of Swarovski’s precision cut crystals and the subtle, organic forms that envelop them. Each piece within the collection has evolved as an abstraction of the sinuous forms evident in nature, revealing my desire for experimentation and invention throughout every stage of design and realization.”

A selection from the new line is below; for more information, visit atelierswarovski.com.

*above: Zaha Hadid Pendant Jet

*above: Zaha Hadid Flame Cuffs

*above: Zaha Hadid Collar Opal

*above: Zaha Hadid Ring 1 +2 Crystal

*above: Zaha Hadid Jet Bangles

*All images courtesy of Atelier Swarovksi.

This summer, London’s Somerset House is proud to host Maison Martin Margiela ’20’ The Exhibition; a major exhibition celebrating 20 years of one of contemporary fashion’s most influential and enigmatic designers.

Young as its history is, no other fashion house has had quite the same impact on our understanding of fashion and its relationship to history, craft, commerce and innovation. 20 years on, Maison Martin Margiela’s radical questioning and rethinking of what fashion is, how we clothe the body and ideals of human beauty, is still as groundbreaking as ever. This multi-layered exhibition captures Margiela’s one-of-a-kind aesthetic and vision spanning the past two decades, by incorporating installations, photography, video and film.

The show provides an opportunity to learn more about the brand and its philosophy through a visual examination of themes that underpin the essence of the fashion house since its creation – from its deconstructivist, subversive design aesthetic and avant-garde couture to its understated branding, unusual boutique interiors and ‘trompe-l’oeil’ or optical illusion and its couture atelier white coats. Various iconic pieces from both the women and menswear collections will be on display, such as the highly replicated ‘Tabi’ boots, as well as specially recreated garments for the exhibition.

Conceived in close collaboration with Maison Martin Margiela and curated by the Mode Museum, Antwerp, the show makes its London debut where it will be specially reconfigured for the Embankment Galleries, following critical acclaim at the MoMu, Antwerp and Haus der Kunst, Munich last year.

A graduate of Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Martin Margiela formerly worked as design assistant to Jean Paul Gaultier before showing his first collection under his own label in 1988. Employing a ‘deconstructivist’ approach – monochromatic palette, outsized garments, non-traditional fabrics, the use of recycled materials and exposing the construction of his clothes – Margiela displayed a radically new visual language that diametrically opposed the power dressing of the 1980s. Often referred to as the seventh member of the “Antwerp Six,” Margiela early on decided to let his fashion speak for itself and remain anonymous. As a result, Margiela as a brand is driven by product and sheer invention rather than fad, hype and celebrity often linked to other fashion labels.

Visitor details below. And if you’d like an abbreviated walk-through of the exhibit, take a look at Somerset House’s video below!

MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA ‘20’ THE EXHIBITION
Now through September 5th
An exhibition at Somerset House, London:
Somerset House Embankment Galleries, Stand, London, WC2R 1LA
Open daily 10.00 to 18.00.
Tickets: Adult £6, Concessions £5, Under 12s Free
For further information, call 020 7845 4600

*Images courtesy of Somerset House.

Architecture and design duo Ludovica and Roberto Palomba‘s new floor-style GREGG lamp for Foscarini is the latest addition to the very popular series of organically-inspired lighting. Complementing the existing table, wall, ceiling and suspension versions, the GREGG floor lamp is made of an incandescent mass of blown glass transformed into an elegant, asymmetric bubble, closer to something we might find in nature than a machine-shaped geometric form. The elegant movement of the stem links the base to the blown glass diffuser, and the egg-like shape morphs depending on the observer’s point of view.

Check out the images and video below to learn more about Ludovica and Roberto Palomba’s inspiration behind the GREGG series.

*Images and video courtesy of Foscarini.

Flavor-infused, 100% Blue Weber agave, blanco Tanteo® Tequilas are distilled, infused and bottled in the historic mountain town of Tequila, Mexico. Available in Jalapeño (blended with separate infusions of organic jalapeños to capture the aroma, taste and heat of the pepper), Tropical (calling to mind traditional Mexican fruit salad topped with salt, lime and chili powder) and Chocolate (made with roasted, malted and raw cocoa, reminiscent of molé sauce), they’re hand-infused with fresh, natural Mexican ingredients, with jalapeño providing the base note throughout.

Beyond its standout taste, though, the collection’s packaging design also offers a potent shot of style. Tanteo’s look balances its NY founders’ modern roots in SoHo with traditional artistry inspired by its Mexican ingredients. Designed by award-winning artist Lincoln Mayne, each Tanteo bottle is made by hand from artesian Mexican glass, characterized by naturally occurring bubbles. A natural wood and cork closure and vintage-style wax seal combine to evoke its heritage. The bottle’s tapered shape and thick glass bottom nobly encase the liquid inside, while the embossed rings provide a comfortable, ergonomic grip, balanced weight distribution provides ease of pouring and the square, V-shaped base supports chilling.

Tanteo Tequila (750ml, 40% ABV) is available at liquor stores throughout New York City for about $40. We’ve also got three specialty drink recipes inspired by Tanteo below, courtesy of Mixologist Jason Mendenhall. For additional information, visit TanteoTequila.com.

TANTEO JALAPEÑO MARGARITA
~ 2 oz. | Tanteo Jalapeño Tequila
~ 1 oz. | Fresh Lime Juice
~ 3/4 oz. | Agave Nectar (or simple syrup)
~ Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice
~ Shake well and pour into a rocks glass (salted rim optional)
~ Garnish with a lime wedge

COCOA LEMONADE
~ 1 ½ oz. | Tanteo® Chocolate Tequila
~ 1 oz. | Fresh Lemon Juice
~ 1/2 oz. | Agave Nectar (or simple syrup)
~ Club Soda
~ Add ingredients into an ice-filled Collins glass
~ Top with club soda and stir with a bar spoon
~ Garnish with a lemon wheel

CERVEZA TROPICAL
~ 1 oz. | Tanteo Tropical Tequila
~ 1/2 oz. | Fresh Lime Juice
~ 1/4 oz. | Agave Nectar
~ 1 Mexican Beer (Modelo® Especial)
~ Build in salt rimmed ice-filled pint glass
~ Stir to mix flavors

Enjoy!

*Image courtesy of Tanteo.