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Etsuko Fukaya 2004
Please do yourself a favor and look at this picture full sized. Aren't the details just astounding? I love Etsuko Fukaya's complicated explorations of nature and mythology. Where does the natural end and the magic begin? In Fukaya's world, they are one and the same.
Dan Winters/Wired
I read this awesome article in this month's issue of Wired about a strange US monument called the Georgia Guidestones. I had never heard of them before, but am now determined to see them one day in person. No one knows who had them built, though there is speculation that their multilingual engraved messages are intended to communicate with post-apocalyptic survivors and/or extraterrestrials. Like Stonehenge, their coordinates are calibrated to the sky and the movement of the stars. How cool.
J.L. Schnabel "Hypnosis" 2009
J.L. Schnabel paints like a cooler, female version of Alex Katz. I love her bold portraits of mystical femme fatales. These ladies are at once alluring and totally untouchable.
Don't forget: Trinie Dalton will be presenting MIRROR HORROR, a visual discussion of the motif of mirrors in horror movies and art. It's tomorrow (Saturday) at Observatory:
Admission: Free. But bring cash for wine & copies of the gorgeous book, MYTHTYM. Trinie will be happy to sign it for you.
When: Saturday, April 25th, 7pm
Where:
Observatory (same building as Proteus Gowanus, Cabinet Magazine, &
Morbid Anatomy Library). 543 Union Street (at Nevins), Brooklyn, NY
11215
Subway: R/M to Union Street ~or~ F/G to Carroll St.
Directions: http://observatoryroom.org/
JAW Cooper "The Customer Is Always Right" 2009
How sublime is this painting by JAW Cooper? Her work straddles the line between illustration and fine art, with its lively, cartoonish lines and complex allegorical messages. She'll be showing at the righteous La Luz de Jesus Gallery from May 1st - 31st, alongside 3 other artistic up-and-comers. West coast, you taunt me once again!
Julia Westerbeke & Clare Parry "The Wonder Parlor" installation view 2008
Installation view
Detail
I am beside myself that I didn't get to see this show in person. "The Wonder Parlor" was created by artists Julia Westerbeke and Clare Parry and was a giant mixed media installation at The New Children's Museum that combined black and white collage elements with pieces of vintage furniture. Inspired by surrealist image streaming and 16th/17th century wunderkammern (two of my favorite things), the overall effect of the piece was that of a room being overtaken by a swirling spew of dream elements. Julia recently informed me that they are looking for a new space in the NYC area in which to reinstall the work, and I am dying to help them out. I am officially on the hunt for a suitable space in which to exhibit this, so please contact me with any ideas.
How to begin talking about the book/model-making kit that is Jeff Hoke's miraculous Tomb of Illumination? I'm flabbergasted. I suppose I'll take the easy way out to start, and lift the description right from the publisher's site:
Like Hoke's previous masterpiece, Museum of Lost Wonder, this is a lavishly designed, demi-historical marvel of a work replete with diagrams, illustrations, and even 3D models to assemble. Order yourself a copy of Tomb of Illumination today, and while you're eagerly awaiting its arrival, you can play around with its beautiful interactive microsite and get a magical taste of what's to come.
Olivia Hill "In the Woods"
My dear pal Suzannah forwarded me a link to Olivia Hill's work and wrote, "I saw these in person, and they jump off the wall! So alive!" I hope to get to visit them myself someday. I love their vibrancy and mystery.
Betsy Walton "Heaven and Earth" 2008
I have a severe case of spring fever, and can't seem to stop posting hyperchromatic work. Betsy Walton's paintings of colorful people floating in vegetal landscapes make me just plain happy.
Tasha Kusama "Transcender" 2008
I'm totally dazzled by the mystical, candy-colored paintings of Tasha Kusama. She definitely communicates in a language all her own, using a visual vocabulary of plaited hair, crystalline forms, and adolescent girls with ancient powers. Her show, "Prismatic" just opened at Sloan Fine Art - in conjunction with Elizabeth McGrath's first solo NYC show, no less. Both are up until May 9th, so be sure visit.
I'm thrilled to be presenting Phantasmaphile's first event at Observatory, a very special space I've become involved with in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Trinie Dalton will be presenting MIRROR HORROR, a visual exploration of mirrors in art & horror films, as per her essay in her incredible book, MYTHTYM. Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 25th, 7pm. Free admission, but be sure to bring cash for wine & tax-free copies of her book! Looking forward to seeing you there.
Hello, Phantasmaphiles:
Many of you expressed regret that you could not make it to see Fata Morgana: The New Female Fantasists in person. Though photographs (especially my highly non-professional ones) do not do the work justice, I hope they might give you a taste at least:
Lori Field "Be Careful What You Wish For"
Lori Field "Be Careful What You Wish For" installation view
"Fata Morgana" installation view
"Fata Morgana" installation view
Adela Leibowitz "Ghost Town" installation view
Adela Leibowitz "Ghost Town"
Katy Horan "Feather Magic"
Karena Karras "Tabula Rasa"
Christina Dallas "Portrait of the Blue Bloods"
Tina Imel "Mending"
Judith Schaechter "Ressurwreckage" installation view
Judith Schaechter "Ressurwreckage"
Dabora
"Fata Morgana" installation view
Alexis Mackenzie "Fool's Gold" installation view
Alexis Mackenzie "Fool's Gold"
Lynda Mahan "Untitled" installation view
Lynda Mahan "Untitled"
Rene Lynch "Throne"
Rene Lynch "Throne" installation view
"Fata Morgana" installation view
"Fata Morgana" installation view
"Fata Morgana" installation view
Amy Ross "Fairy Ring"
Madeline von Foerster "The Chemical Wedding"
Susan Jamison "Tatting Tales"
Fay Ku "See Trees"
Carrie Ann Baade "The Character of Mercy" installation view
Carrie Ann Baade "The Character of Mercy"
Dabora
Dabora
Just a friendly reminder that the group show I curated, "Fata Morgana: The New Female Fantasists," is only up for 2 more days. That's this Saturday and Sunday, from 12-5pm. Be sure to swing by Dabora and say hello, as I will be at the space myself.
The show has gotten lots of lovely coverage, from Neil Gaiman(!), Juxtapoz, Arthur, Upper Playground, the Greenpoint Gazette, and many more.
Dabora Gallery is located at 1080 Manhattan Ave between Eagle and Dupont. Take the G train to Greenpoint Ave. Phone: 718-609-9629
Looking forward to seeing you there.
When Is A Clock
Astier de Villatte is one of those brands that seems to get everything right. They've got a gorgeous, divination-themed web site, and their housewares and beauty products are designed with a perfect combination of luxury and mystery. One day I'm going to splurge at John Derian and finally buy one of these notebooks.
Deborah Mills "Here There Be" series
I'm delighted to have met woodcarver Deborah Mills (and her husband, writer Daniel Rabuzzi) at the gallery this weekend. Trained in Norway, Mills' work is rife with folkloric tropes and historically exact design elements. I am especially partial to her "Here There Be" series, which is based on mythological beasts from 16th and 17th century cartography. I dream of one day commissioning her to carve some magical object for my home - if not an entire house!
Moyo Ogundipe "Mami Wata" 1999
I first learned about African water deity, Mami Wata, at the American Museum of Natural History's "Mythic Creatures" show in 2007 - and it was love at first sight. Often shown as a snake-wielding mermaid, she is a powerful and divinely beautiful goddess of the sea. As you can imagine, I am flipping out over the Smithsonian's Mami Wata exhibit currently up at the African Art Museum. I am going to have to get to DC between now and July 26th when it closes.
A new Tori Amos album is always cause for celebration. Mark your calendars for May 19th, when Abnormally Attracted to Sin
Mark Ryden's YHWH photo by Brian McCarty 2009
I'm not usually a huge vinyl toy person, but I could not be more excited for the Mark Ryden's "YHWH" figurine coming out from Necessaries Toy Foundation. It's based on this painting of his:
(one of my favorites) and will be released this summer. There's a great spread in High Fructose all about it, so be sure to take a look.
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