ANOUCK BERTIN

The work of Anouck Bertin. Photographer for Nylon and freelance projects such as M83's 'Saturdays=Youth' cover and her personal series, 'NYC Kids'.

Beauty.

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xo.s

SCOTT CAMPBELL: MAKE IT RAIN

Bros before Hos. 

Scott Campbell is a Brooklyn-based tattoo artist; one that couldn't tell you exactly what stylistic elements of his art he is best known for. If you ask him, he's "known for dirty fingernails and paint all over his pants", but if you ask anyone that knows his work, he is famous for his antiquated ornamentation and use of a laser cutter on any and everything he can get his hands on. 

The 'Make it Rain' series is no exception. Something about the tattoo culture imagery and the stack of dolla dolla bills goes hand in hand. Campbell has always been an artist, but 'Make it Rain' seems to have given him his first real taste of art world props. His lasercutting obsession has led him to create a wide range of decorative books and furniture, but the concept behind 'Rain' is much deeper.

The skulls are especially rad, no?

Oh! And the tattoos pictured above? Campbell and friend Marc Jacobs have a matching set.

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xo.s

DASH SNOW DIES AT 27

'Polaroid'

Poster for 'Nest'

'Polaroid'

'Polaroid'

'Self Portrait in Blood'

Dash Snow. Dang

'Dash Snow Polariods', Dave Schubert

Shot from a New York Magazine article on Snow, Ryan McGinley and Dan Colen,

there dubbed "the polished derelicts"

'Untitled'

'Beautiful Losers'

A few days late on this tragic news, it has been confirmed that New York artist Dash Snow died of a drug overdose in the Lafayette House Hotel in lower Manhattan on July 13.

His passing may not come as a surprise to many of those who knew of his controversial lifestyle, having run away from his wealthy aristocratic family (both in the art scene [the Menils of the Menil Collection] and in pop culture [his mother is Uma Thurman's sister) at the age of 15. An unapologetic addict, he began taking polaroids as a record of places he might not remember the next day.  He has been in and out of jail, addicted to crack and running away from the police for over a decade.

His photographic work has been considered thematically similar to photographers Nan Goldin, Larry Clark, Ryan McGinley and Richard Billingham, often depicting instances of sex, drugs, violence and art-world pretentiousness that are documented with disarming honesty.

Some of Snow's more recent collage work is characterized by the controversial practice of using his own semen and urine, splashed across newspaper articles of police officers and thousands of pages of New York City phonebooks. His work has been acquired by the Saatchi Gallery, The Whitney Museum of American Art and the Brooklyn Museum (where he took part in the 2006 Biennial "God Spoiled a Perfect Asshole When He Put Teeth in Your Mouth").

I would have loved to show more of his work here, but would have to put a permanent disclaimer on my blog. Be sure to look it up.

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xo.s

GAP CHAIR BY WERNER ASSLINGER

The best new chair I've seen in awhile! 

This is the 'gap chair' by Werner Asslinger, representing "a new typology in the world of seating" (designboom)

"It is the marriage of a chair with central leg construction under the seat and a stacking monoshell chair"

The cuts in the seat are necessary for the legs to bend downward from the upper body of the chair- they are actually part of the seat, giving it structural integrity and serious industry props. The shell is made out of plywood curved with 3d technology. 

Produced by Fornasarig

xo.s

TESTING

Testing out how to post larger images. jackpot.

Have a lovely weekend!

xo.s

CRANBROOK ACADEMY OF ART

'An American House '08', William Massie (created at Cranbrook and on a recent cover of DWELL)

The Grounds

I first touched on Cranbrook Academy of Art when I posted the work of Keetra Dean Dixon and have again been reminded of the brilliance coming out of that school after coming across the work of 'Innate Gestures', the alias of the school's student 3d design collective.  I'm going to post them more specifically next, but wanted to highlight some of the school's more recent creations.

Cranbrook is a Grad school located about 15 minutes outside of Detroit, MI, (in Bloomfield Hills) which means it's in my hood; I've been lucky enough to tour the school a number of times with my instructors at CCS. Admissions only accepts a limit of ten or so PER DEPARTMENT every year, which means the school has approximately 100 students at any given time.  Each grad is given their own studio space and work with artists in residence- rather than more traditional 'instructors'- to bring to life whatever is in them to create.

The work that I've seen come out of this school is exceptionally clever and remarkably simple, likely owing to the campus; students are required to live on the expansive grounds in 1930s arts and crafts cottage culture.  It's like an art retreat, secluded and surrounded by giant trees. You'd think that grad students in design would do their best work in the cultural centers of major cities, but Cranbrook kids are laid back bookish craftspeople that thrive on nature and wide open space.  Smart.

Ayami Watanabe, 'Bricks', 2005

Matt Monroe, 'Electric Orange Living Room', 2008. 

(I saw this one at last year's grad show; it's interactive and asks the participant to shovel cheetos out of the pail and onto a conveyor belt. The delicious snacks are then shredded and shot into the air inside the tiny living room, collecting inches to feet of orange dust on the droning television and small sofa)

Audrey Russel, 'Large Cat', 2005

Alumni? The Saarinens, Ray and Charles Eames, Florence Knoll, Jack Lenor Larson, Duane Hanson and Hani Rashid.

Charles Eames and Eero Saarinen

Eames chair created at Cranbrook

$igh. How I'd love to go to Grad school at Cranbrook Academy of Art.  Lottery first.

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xo.s

AUDREY'S PET

It was recently brought to my attention that Audrey Hepburn had a pet deer. 

I feel as though I should have one, then, too.

IARTISTLONDON

So, this is interesting....

IARTISTLONDON has created a set of do-it-yourself kits for the recreation of well-known pieces of british contemporary art.

Mark Quinn, 'Self (the real thing)

The Do It Yourself 'Self' kit

Damien Hirst 'For the Love of God'

DIY 'For the Love of God' kit

Tracey Emin, 'Everyone I Have Ever Slept With'

The DIY kit

One of Banksy's Rats

Yeah. DIY

From the site:

"We believe art should be for everyone. Our boxes contain all the necessary elements so you only have to concentrate on creating. In no time you will have a masterpiece created by yourself. It couldn't be easier!

IARTISTLONDON presents the world's first affordable DIY high art sets"

There are currently six sets to choose from, including a DIY 'For the Love of God' by Damien Hirst to be created from a plastic skull and rhinestones; a 'Self' replica by Mark Quinn which allows you to create a frozen sculpture of your head out of YOUR OWN BLOOD (what. the. f&*k), and a DIY 'Everyone I Have Ever Slept With' tent a la Tracey Emin.

Ok, I've seen 'Self' and think it's a great piece, but to include instructions on how to create your OWN is insane to me.  That is Quinn's piece, his vision, his creative sacrifice..... HIS blood.  I mean, is this even safe?? 

All the work listed here to 'copy' is personal vision.  I get the appeal, but I'm hating this idea! I don't think it would be possible to come up with an idea to cheapen these relevant pieces of art any more than IARTIST has.

Sure, anyone could collect the supplies to knock off nearly ANY piece of artwork if they tried hard enough.  But these people too would have to be innovative in doing it themselves.  For a company to make money off telling the average joe how to recreate a piece of contemporary art that he likely doesn't even understand or know much about is sick.

I haven't been able to find it, but I would be interested to hear what the artists think of this! If they had to give IARTIST LONDON permission? I would imagine.... but I'm seriously disappointed to think that they might get behind such a cheap idea.

When the Momart warehouse in East London burned to the ground in 2004 and Emin's tent was lost, she refused to reproduce it even when the Saatchi gallery offered her a million pounds, saying "I had the inclination and inspiration 10 years ago to make that, I don't have that inspiration and inclination now.... My work is very personal, which people know, so I can't create that emotion again- it's impossible". 

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xo.s