DWR: Tools for Living SoHo Artist Window Series, No.1

Last weekend's inaugural installation of the Tools for Living SoHo Artist Window Series had tourists and tried-and-true New Yorkers alike stopping to gawk on Wooster Street. Running with a “Summer in the City” theme, artist Damon Johnson decked out the Wooster Street windows with huge cartoon pigeons and thorny, technicolor roses. His signature “Urban Surrealism” packs the perfect punch to set off the summer season in SoHo.

Soundsuits on the scene.

Chicago artist Nick Cave (not to be confused with the Australian musician of the same name) merges his background in dance and his passion for clothing design to create his Soundsuits. The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco now has the largest exhibit of his work to date, on display through July 5. I checked it out this weekend and was, well, kind of speechless. Part sculpture, part fashion, part other-worldly surrealism, the materials Cave chooses are startling. Everything from human hair to thrift-store knick-knacks, crocheted doilies to bejeweled sweaters (Golden Girls thoroughly evoked). Each of these utterly unique creations is displayed on a mannequin, bending all ideas of gender and even species. The resulting exhibit is a trip-tastic wonderland of found objects.

Change of art.

Art speaks to everyone regardless of political inclinations. Knowing that, MoveOn.org, the progressive website, challenged its members to create art celebrating Barak Obama’s presidential candidacy. Chosen from over 1,000 original works of art submitted, the 31 finalists are now on display at the Manifest Hope Gallery in Denver, coinciding with the DNC convention. While Obama may not be your pick for president, I assume most would be hard-pressed to not find beauty in many of the finalist’s work. It is a welcome change to the traditional political imagery crowding magazines, newspaper and websites.

Fashion forward.

The illustrator Robert Fontanelli had an all-too-quick show in Chelsea last week that I, unfortunately, missed. A friend sent me pictures on his iPhone of Fontanelli’s drawings which led me to his site. His work is a combination of fashion illustration and homoerotic imagery mixed with the fetishism of all things mid-century modern. Some of the images are sexy (“Storage”) while others are, somewhat, disturbing ("Rape of Red Eames Chair #1"). All of them are, in my humble opinion, brilliant.

Object of desire.

Gary Hustwit, who created the wonderful, must-see film Helvetica has announced a new film that I am eagerly anticipating. Debuting in 2009, Objectified is a documentary about industrial design. The film features some of DWR’s favorite designers: Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Hella Jongerius and Karim Rashid. It aims to “document the creative processes of some of the world’s most influential designers, and looks at how the things they make impact our lives.” I am equally excited about the film’s logo, which features the Panton chair. They’re blogging about the film here.

Scholars of Shaker culture.

For 40 years, Faith and Edward Deming Andrews collected Shaker art, amassing what is believed to be one of the most comprehensive collections of Shaker materials ever assembled. The Andrewses’ story, from acquiring and ultimately disposing of their collection, is the subject of a traveling exhibit, “Gather Up the Fragments: The Andrews Shaker Collection.” In addition to showing more than 200 objects, some of which have never been on display before, the exhibit examines the Andrewes’ involvement – as scholars, collectors, and dealers – of Shaker art.

The Andrewses have been credited with being among the first to recognize the unique contributions of the Shakers to American culture. “The story of how they acquired and eventually disposed of their collection is a fascinating tale of intrigue.”

Through October 31, 2008, the exhibit is at the Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Contact them for additional tour locations. For a review by “Antiques and the Arts,” click here.

Destroying a classic.

The above image, I’ll admit, caused me to wince. I thought, “who would do such a thing to such a perfect design?” The answer is Mark Wentzel, an artist in Georgia represented by Project 4 Gallery in Washington, D.C.  His “XLounge” is a conceptual piece focusing on the “masterful design of the Eames Lounge Chair and its significance today.” It is a statement on the chair and America’s consumption of products.

Good W(Ork).

How fantastic are these city maps by Ork Posters? I’ve always been fascinated with maps and their designs and colors. These maps, created by Jenny Beorkrem, reinvent the city map as graphic and modern art.  And while two of the cities I’ve called home (SF and NYC) are included, my hometown of Baltimore, regrettably, has not made the cut.  Hopefully, their collection will expand.  At $27 a screen print, they’re affordable and a perfect gift, whether you’re representing the Tenderloin or Brooklyn.

Skateboard headboard.

I just had to share this picture of a DIY project my partner and I took on, to make a headboard out of designer skateboards. I started with a Min bed, bought at a DWR warehouse sale, and collected decks to go with the colorful theme of the room.  Featured are three limited edition Jeff Koons boards for Supreme, a Ryan McGinness board, a Donny Miller board and a purple deck my mother got me at Colette in Paris.  Yes, that’s Prince and Michael Jackson.  The result is a perfect pop of fun for any young boy’s room, or in this case a room for a man longing for his youth.  If you have any DIY headboards we’d love to see them.  Send the blog team an email.

Murakami in Los Angeles.

If you’re in Los Angeles this fall and want to see Takashi Murakami’s work, don’t fret if you cannot get hold of Kanye for a private home visit.  The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA will run a three-part show of the artist’s various creations from October 29 through February 11. The 20,000 square-foot exhibit will house painting, sculpture, installation and film.

According to MOCA “the first portion will be an immersive, theatrically lit environment, recreating the annual ‘Wonder Festival’ comic market convention. It will feature many of Murakami’s acclaimed large-scale otaku-inspired figure projects of the late 1990s, including a new version of Second Mission Project Ko2 (2000-07). The second section will comprise a grid-like shelving display of all of Murakami’s merchandise, including multiples, collectibles, and maquettes, among other items. The final section will trace Murakami’s artistic development since 1991, including early works that engage branding and the evolution of his signature character, DOB.”

Louis Vuitton will be setting up a shop selling the artist’s handbag and accessories collaborations with the venerable luxury brand.  Surely, they’ll not be included in the price of admission.