Daily Monster was created by the multi-talented Stefan G. Bucher. You can see all the monster videos online and check out Stefan’s design site too - 344.

 

 

Danielle Van Ark, a photographer based in Amsterdam, has gotten some attention lately for her eerie series of photos entitled, “The Mounted Life.” These photos let the viewer’s mind interpret the scene the way they like, but the animals are indeed “stuffed” and can be found in the back storage room of natural history museums. These images are intriging to me because they seem too still or rigid and in the wrong environment. The straight lines and the materials in the background aren’t natural. Something is not “right” here.

You could make an environmental interpretation or statement out of these photos. The fact that we visit natural history museums to see animals on display is odd, although I have been myself and enjoyed the visual learning experience. Can some animals only be seen in a museum now? What does that say about us?

You can read an interview with Danielle Van Ark about this photo series on the I Heart Photograph Blog. 

If I share an artist’s work on my blog that I would like people to be aware of, it is important to note that all the artwork, including photography, is the copyright of the artist. If said artist sees their work on this blog and wants it removed, please contact me and I will remove it immediately. 

A friend sent this ultra hip website link to me today … Feel More Human.

I love the idea of combining a blog with a shopping site featuring well designed products. The site offers some eco-friendly products for home (lighting, furniture, decor) and life (jewelry, bags, health and beauty). On the blog side, there are resources for green living and even a place to sell your stuff in the classified section. Feel More Human also donates 1% of sales to a network of 1,469 environmental organizations worldwide with a program called 1% For The Planet: Keeping the earth in business.

Jill Stalowicz, a founding partner, really hit the mark on this one. 

  

 

Today, I just want to share a photographer with you. I will let her glorious photography speak for itself. These two photos are from her “domesticated” series. Go to Amy Stein Photography to see more and read her statements about the work. 

If I share an artist’s work on my blog that I would like people to be aware of, it is important to note that all the artwork, including photography, is the copyright of the artist. If said artist sees their work on this blog and wants it removed, please contact me and I will remove it immediately.

ArtParis is celebrating its 10th year as a event where established and emerging contemporary artists are invited to exhibit side by side on an international level at The Grand Palais. This large event will showcase work from 115 French and foreign galleries with more than 2000 square feet of exhibit space and will feature 20 artists. This year’s title “Traversées,” which means “Crossings,” embraces the crossing from one generation to the next and crossing from one country to the next. This year’s exhibit will highlight emerging talent of the Arab world which encompasses African, Asian and European cultures. Brahim Alaoui, the curator, explains the purpose of the exhibition:

“As a synthesis between East and West, contemporary Arab art will appear in all its diversity, inviting us to observe multiple crossings, between time and space, from one media to another. This exhibition will mostly display the works of young emerging talents who will exhibit their art alongside the leading artist of the preceding generation, in an attempt to show the polymorphous nature of modern art. Apart from their use of the tools of modernity, these artist share in common a desire both to exhange ideas and to question the prevailing orthodoxy.”

Photos from previous years from arnaudt:

 

At the same time, Tokyo will hold their first international contemporary art fair called 101 TOKYO. Japan’s growing art market has signaled a expansion of the art community and 101 TOKYO is featuring 28 up-and-coming galleries from 14 countries with artist working in the mediums of painting, drawing, photography, video, installation art and sculpture. 101 TOKYO will be held in partnership with the third annual Art Fair Tokyo. 

Photo from last year’s Art Fair Tokyo from chiaki:

 

Hundertwasser (December 15, 1928 - February 19, 2000) was a visionary Austrian artist, architect and environmentalist with a mission to reconnect humans with nature. His work was bright and organic…always staying away from straight lines. You can see the green roofs with trees in the photos above. He also incorporated vegetation on the inside of structures, with trees coming out of windows. His stance on the environment was clear in 1990, when he made this statement:

“There are no evils in nature. There are only evils of man. When man thinks he has to correct nature, it is an irreparable mistake every time. A community should not consider it an honour how much spontanous vegetation it destroys; it should rather be a point of honour for every community to protect as much of its natural landscape as possible.”

To read the rest of this statement and more of Hundertwasser’s philosophy, click here.  

Photo credits: Top image: Joachim S. Müller, Second row, left: rytc, Second row, right: Crystalline Radical, third row: diwan, fourth row, left: marcelgermain, fourth row, right: scottpartee.

Audrey Kawasaki is an artist to watch. At 26, she has already emerged on the West coast art scene and is making her living as an artist. Her “girls” are mysterious and engaging. The focus is on the face…in the bedroom eyes and the pouty lips. It is very sensual work for such a shy girl. She doesn’t like to do interviews and in all the ones I have read, she describes herself as painfully shy and a “social weirdo.” In an interview with Chris Mitchell at Life Lounge, she says “on paper, or on canvas or wood, with a pencil and brush in hand, I can be as loud as I want! I am clear and explicit as ever. There is no fear, no shame, nothing to worry about. I am honest and blunt and direct, and loving it!”

I love Audrey’s combination of graphic images and soft faces on wood. I can’t take my eyes off her unusual work. As a process, Audrey sands down the surface and rounds the corners of the wood board, so it is smooth all around (very fitting). Then she draws directly on the board with pencil and seals the wood to start her oil painting process, leaving the wood grain pattern showing through on most paintings.

 

 

Elizabeth McGrath, the beautiful and unique artist and singer based in California, has put out some Easter goodies to feast your eyes on. Her work is strange and delicate … pretty and scary at the same time. I love the mix of sculpture, painting, photography, sewing, shadow boxes and taxidermy-like treatment. Pretty, pastel colored girly things with ribbons and bows met uncomfortable and ferocious dead things with blood and guts. She has been nicknamed “Bloodbath McGrath.” 

Check out the online store to see all the Easter goods. Here are a few…  

If you want to put McGrath’s style into a category or art movement, she would fall into “lowbrow” or “pop-surrealism,” which I believe has been quietly spreading from its origins in Los Angeles into the mainstream for sometime. This type of artwork always has a sense of humor or sharp wit about it, which is what I love.  

Although it may take awhile for art critics to accept this type of art as “fine art,” some collectors are already showing support. Many of the artists are self-taught and are influenced by tattooing, comics, punk rock, surf culture, horror movies and hot-rods. One of the first artists to be considered “lowbrow” may be Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, who created the hot-rod character called Rat Fink in the 1950’s out of his hatred for Mickey Mouse. 

The most interesting part of this art movement is the attitude of the artists themselves. They don’t seem to care too much about explaining the concepts for their work and view it more as entertainment and satire. Most recently, the lowbrow movement has been called “nobrow” or “newbrow” suggesting more acceptance and/or giving the artists more credit for their intellect.

There are dedicated Lowbrow galleries in Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, Seattle, San Francisco, some parts of Ohio and internationally in Rome, Italy and Melbourne, Australia. If you love any of the work in this movement, I suggest buying it. However, I never suggest buying art that you do not love.