Chris Levine collaborates with Grace Jones

From 30th April until 15th May 2010 at The Vinyl Factory Gallery in Poland Street, London’s Soho.

'Stillness at the Speed of Light' is a new exhibition by Chris Levine, the light artist renowed for his 3D, and still images of the Queen - to commemorate 800 years of allegiance to the crown by the Island of Jersey. For this special collaboration with Grace Jones, the artist created amazing multimedia installations and soundscape. The Queen (no I mean Grace Jones) did a special performance at the vernissage tonight... very edgy !

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The 5 O’Clock Chair, by Dutch brand Moooi

The 5 O’Clock Chair, presented by Dutch brand Moooi, in Milan, is based on Zupanc’s memories of retro furniture and English porcelain and I love it...

More info on: http://www.moooi.com/

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Scream Gallery in London : "The Rolling Stones: Against the wall"

"The Rolling Stones: Against the wall", and the exhibition dates: 13 May - 3 July

Courtesy Scream Gallery London

Copyright David Montgomery

 

The Rolling Stones keep fascinating and still inspire younger generations. Scream London will present a collection of behind-the-scenes photographs of the band by fashion and rock photographers  David Montgomery - who had a fantastic career at Vogue in the 60s and 70s featuring Andy Warhol and Jimmy Hendrix - but also Roberto Rabanne and Bob Gruen - John Lennon and Yoko Ono's personal photographer who extensively toured with Led Zeppelin, the Who, and the Clash amongt many other bands. Such an exhibition resonates a lot in London and this gallery, located just a moment away from the Royal Academy, is certainly trendy...

I am sure the opening will be packed !

More info on: www.screamlondon.com

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LV treat

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Balenciaga exhibition at the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, Spain

"Cristóbal Balenciaga (Guetaria, Guipúzcoa, 1895–Valencia, 1972) is one of the most outstanding creative talents in fashion history. In 1913 he opened his own workshop in San Sebastián and from 1937 to May 1968 he had a boutique in Paris, where he became a benchmark figure in haute couture, tirelessly pursuing his ideal of perfection and elegance.

The exhibition shows around forty couture pieces from the Basque regional government’s collection, the Balenciaga Foundation and two private collections in the Basque Country and Madrid. Rather than trying to give a fashion-eye overview of Balenciaga’s work and creations, the itinerary running through different areas of the Museum aims to stimulate the spectator into thinking about the role of fashion and clothing in individual and group identity: delineating physical and social limits, Balenciaga’s dresses may be said to frame the women that wear them. His creations transform their wearers into elegant females who hide their individual femininity beneath the armour of good taste and refined form. The geometric beauty of the cut and the extraordinary chromatic harmony will astound the spectator in this exceptional show that focuses on one of the best fashion designers from the golden age of haute couture."

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Orient-Hermès at Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris

Until 6 June 2010
Orient-Hermès

In 1978, Leïla Menchari designed beautiful windows for Hermès, 24 Faubourg St Honoré. For this specific exhibition at L'Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, the Tunisian artist who also partnered with Azzedine Alaïa in the past, created eight windows which reflect the skills of craftsmen and artists from the Mediterranean region, all inspired by her childhood memories, her trips, her life.

More info on: http://www.imarabe.org/

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Exclusive interview with Paolo Campochiaro

Art is Alive had the chance to interview Paolo Campochiaro, photographer from Uruguay who had his works exhibited around the world. He tells us about his latest projects


Can you introduce yourself and your background?
I was born, in a family of artists in Uruguay in an important theatre named “El Galpon” and this fact left its mark on my life and imaginary – since the notion of art is linked for me to the notion of play, trial and error.


I grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and I have lived in St Petersburg, NY, Budapest, Athens and Madrid, before settling down in Paris where I have been living and working for ten years.


Where do you get your inspiration from?
My inspiration comes from the street, from the daily life and of course is fed by the big universal topics.


But what interests me the most in photography is the point of view, not so much the details and devices of the machinery. I believe in the expressive strength of the image.


How would you describe yourself and how would you describe your art?
I think I am a rather introvert person - an observer interested in what surrounds me and attentive to the detail. I always had two sides in my work: photography and theatre. Directing is working closely with people and organizing an action on the stage with the notion of time. Photography is for me the instant implementation of a point of view.


In my latest series of pictures (Forms in B&W / Shapes in Color) I come very close to my subjects and these close-ups of ordinary objects make them strange, unrecognizable and in a way invite the viewer to have a new look on things.


In my childhood, one of the first artists who impressed me was Joaquin Torres Garcia, the big master of Latin-American constructivist art, and in a way, it opened my mind to a geometrical and structured way to see the composition in the frame.

Which photographers, artists, designers do you feel close to?
There are many artists I feel close to and who bring me inspiration from the theatre companies Théatre de la Complicité or Romeo Castelucci, photographs like Albert Watson, Andre Kertesz or the artist Luis Camnitzer…These are completely different worlds and at the same time part of the artistic universe as I understand it, they are people taking risks, raising the level of the dialog, bringing us new ideas and matters of reflection.


How far do you hope to go artistically speaking?
As Tennessee Williams used to say, time is the longest distance between two places.


Can you tell us about your current and upcoming projects ?
I recently exposed in La Maison de l’Amerique Latine en Paris in what was the first big exhibition of the Collection of Jean Cherqui. I belong to this collection for a few years already not without pride, since he is one of the main world’s collectors of concrete and geometrical art – and I got the honor that he shows interest in my images.


I am preparing a big street intervention by the beginning of 2011 in Buenos Aires with some of my recent pictures. I was invited to participate for the second time to an important exhibition Contempo Corporate Art in Abu Dhabi for 2011.


Actually I have several new projects where photography is only an element of an installation in the space…. A sort of mix between the stage and the pictures rails…


Would you consider to do something else if you were not an artist?
If I were not an artist, I would be an artist.... ha ha ha I think art is intrinsic to the human being and probably the last way we have left to really change things.


Do you consider that "art is alive" ?
Considering how art is today, I believe we have reached an extreme point where the things (relations with the market) need to be redefined… But this does not kill art – it gives art strength to reinvent itself, like it always did; I am sure that out of this crisis period will arise new creators with new proposals. Anyway, art is not dead!


To finish with, what would wish to this blog?

That it goes on being a space of freedom to exhibit new trends and that it succeeds in imposing itself as a reference magazine in the context of the fight carried on today inside the new formatted media.

All the best for the future – and may all your wishes come true!

More information on:
www.campochiaro.eu

www.gcarte.net/

http://www.contempocorpart.com/

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Rossy de Palma for LV

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Grace Kelly exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London opens tomorrow

Photograph by Erwin Blumenfeld, New York, 1955. Copyright The Estate of Erwin Blumenfeld 2009.

The spectacular wardrobe of Grace Kelly will be on display at the V&A. Tracing the evolution of her style from her days as one of Hollywoods most popular actresses in the 1950s and as Princess Grace of Monaco, the display will present over 50 of Grace Kelly's outfits together with hats, jewellery and the original Hermès Kelly bag. Dresses from her films, including High Society, will be shown as well as the gown she wore to accept her Oscar award in 1955. These will be accompanied by film clips and posters, photographs and her Oscar statuette. The show will also include the lace ensemble worn by Grace Kelly for her civil marriage ceremony to Prince Rainier in 1956 and 35 haute couture gowns from the 1960s and 70s by her favourite couturiers Dior, Balenciaga, Givenchy, and Yves St Laurent.

Fascinating and beautiful...

More info on: www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/future_exhibs/index.html

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Acne furnitures are beautiful

The Swedish creative agency Acne, which is mostly known for its fashion brand, also designs furnitures.

The Swedish design by Carl Malmsten, which launched the design side of the company, is now becoming classic.  The New Berlin Sofa that he originally designed for the Swedish Consulate in Berlin for instance, is absolutely stunning.

It's very risky when a traditional retail company starts designing furnitures but this one is definitely a success.

More info on: http://acne.se/

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Tilda Swinton graces the cover of Dazed and Confused, May issue

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R.I.P Malcolm McLaren

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Beautifully designed watch by Milan designer Denis Guidone

Called Time Lines, this beautiful watch has been designed by Milan designer Denis Guidone and will be shown at the NAVA Design flagship store in Milan next week.

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Quote of the week: Klaus Biesenbach, Director of P.S.1 to Lady Gaga

“All we have is our opinion.” Klaus Biesenbach, Director of P.S.1 quoting Susan Sontag to Lady Gaga, who had declared herself a performance artist.

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