News And Updates
Cosmic Thing 2002
Earlier this week, I was priveledged to attend a preview of the lastest exhibit ‘Damian Ortega: Do It Yourself ‘ at the Insitute of Contemporary Art.
I have to say that there is something utterly fascinating about seeing a Volkswagon Beetle exploded in an all white space. It feels like something out of the Matrix. Ortega has a way of pulling apart everyday objects and putting them back together in an uncommon way that’s refreshing and bold.
Skin
His work is thought provoking and fun. An installation that I particularly enjoyed was Skin. With Skin, Ortega took three modernist buildings that serve as public housing and has cut out the floorplan of a single apartment unit in leather. The leather floorplan was then hung from a meat hook from the ceiling. It shows the contrast between architectural theory and the end result. Soft hanging scultpures that are based on architects’ attempts to solve the problem of overpopulated urban living. Skin as a border of the body and the wall as a border of a home. An image of the housing structure that the floorplan belongs to is cleverly tattooed on each piece. With Skin, Ortega provides further proof as to how an architect like Le Corbusier failed in his meglomaniacal attempt at public housing and how the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
The exhibit opens today to the public and runs through January 18th.
Red Line (Close Up 1) by Ben Willis
South End Open Studios is this weekend. For all who are unfamiliar with Open Studios, it is an annual event that allows the public the opportunity to visit with South End artists in their workspaces and view/purchase their work. Over 250 artists are featured in this event.
Parallel Universe by Ben Willis
This is a great opportunity to purchase art outside of a gallery environment. This makes the art purchase all the more personal and meaningful because you’ll have the opportunity to meet the artist and discuss their inspiration for the pieces at great length. You can also find a lot of one-of-a-kind original works at great prices.
When Will I See You Again? by Ben Willis
This Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 6pm in Boston’s South End. Make a day of it. Grab brunch at one of the South End’s many great restaurants (Tremont 647, Francesca’s, Pop’s, Banq). After that, pick up a pair of diesel jeans or a Modern Amusement shirt at Uniform. Then see some art.
@ theBrimfield Antique Show Fall 2009
My husband Kevin and I went to the Brimfield Antique Show Sunday on a whim. Sometimes this is ok, but more often than not you get completely overwhelmed with the abundance of so much cool old stuff! For the most part we did all right. We did have a small plan of action that kept us from straying to much… to find a white side table (or something we could paint) for our entrance way and some eastern influenced decor for the bedroom. We ended up with 2 side tables, neither which were white! One, a metal side table with extendable sides, perfect for our “state hospital chic” design aesthetic, that we scored for only $30. This table will be the one we will most likely use and for the entrance once it is painted white. And the other table is a beautiful blue french antique table I fell in love with instantly. (Yes, I know french antique and “state hospital” chic is tough to pull off, but have some faith! We have nothing blue or french antique in our space, so this will definitely be a challenge!)
A little about the show. It is the largest outdoor antique show in the world, held since 1959, three times each year, with thousands of dealers attending.
In a quaint New England town with rolling hills this show has more of a festival or town fair atmosphere than flea market feel. It attracts all kinds of people which makes for good people watching. You can get fried dough and apple cider, what could be better?
Some of our other purchases:
Buddha head $10 - I have been looking for a good Buddha for years now, so this was a great find for me + I like that it’s an off white Buddha as opposed to the metal or stone ones you always see. And the price was right for Kevin to agree to letting me buy it.
Tibetan Wool Shawls $23 - From Ayana Sofia Imports, these were so beautiful and were more like blankets than shawls, perfect for a cool fall afternoon.
Chinese Revolution Posters $2/each - A perfect compliment to our Shepard Fairy “Make Art Not War” poster.
Swim Baskets $20 – These are very hard to find, so we grabbed 3 for organizing random kitchen accessories.
Wall Tapestry from India $32-$70 - Purchased 2! They are made from old wedding sari’s, makes the perfect wedding gift and/or window covering to block out that obnoxious street lamp out side my window!
Mini Japanese Comic Book $2 - Fueled our bargaining power and really who doesn’t love a Japanese comic book?
To check out more images of the show, check out our flickr photostream:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/designboston/sets/72157622253462055/
To get more info on the show and dates for next year, visit the Brimfield site:
http://www.brimfieldshow.com/index.html
