Blair Whiteford lives and works in New York. His fragmented paintings blur the line between figuration and abstract expressionism like the Bay Area Figurative Movement in the 1950′s. In his own words, “I am interested in the way that a body interacts with its surroundings. The images that I create depict bodies and spaces that are constantly being altered by a hypothetical understanding of the space that the figures are experiencing. While creating my recent body of work I have been particularly interested in the space that exists in between non-objective abstraction and representation, allowing the two to transform into one another throughout the paintings.”
The between Moments Photographs Of A. Dola Baroni
A. Dola Baroni is a photographer and dancer who represents the West Coast and bleeds Laker Purple. Having grown up in the valley, her photographs leave us with the colorful in between moments that make-up a life in southern California.
Julian Glander’s Whimsical Illustrations
Julian Glander lives and works in New York.Take one look at the front page of his wild and wacky website and his exuberant mission will be clear. Glander’s quirky illustrations are an absolute blast as they wiggle about the computer screen (the majority of his work are moving .gifs). It’s refreshing to see a body of work that doesn’t take itself too seriously and is first and foremost, fun!
Hilarious Letterpress Notes
These letterpress cards are the product of a collaboration between Sapling Press and the Dear Blank, Please Blank project. Dear Blank, Please Blank is a site which asks visitors to write short “letters” written in a dear…, please…, sincerely, … style. The letters on site range from humorous to sarcastic to bitter. Several of the succinct witty letters have been put to letterpress Sapling Press resembling notes typed on vintage typewriters. Here is a selection of some of Sapling’s and DBPB’s hilarious offerings.
Shan Hur’s Excavated Sculptures
Shan Hur‘s sculptures interact with the gallery space in a unique way. He embeds his sculptural work inside walls and pillars throughout the space. Each piece almost seems if it is in the middle of being excavated right out of the gallery wall. In this way the sculpture brings the entire gallery into the work of art, and by extenstion its visitors. Interestingly, Hur says of his work:
“One of the issues I have focused on is how to reduce the burden of the volume of sculpture. I then connect this mass to its surroundings, but not just as part of the whole. I think sculpture should communicate with its circumstances.”
A Warped House from Martine Feipel and Jean Bechameil
This installation of Martine Feipel and Jean Bechameil is as much about the structure as the empty space within it. The installation’s title Le Cercle Fermé, or the Closed Circle, offers a clue. Like a closed circle Feipel and Bechameil offer a finite space that in some ways look familiar, much like a home. However, the artists playfully alter the structure and its furnishings to throw viewers off balance. The warped rooms make visitors acutely aware of the space and how they interact with it. In a way this calls to mind more benign spaces like bedrooms or kitchens, and encourages us to consider how such familiar spaces influence daily life. [via]
Hellenism And Space Invaders From Oliver Payne
Oliver Payne‘s collages present many juxtapositions: East and West, new and old, digital and analog. In an interesting way, though, the images of Japanese Bullet Hell Games and photographs of classical European sculpture compliment one another. A tradition of fantastic stories and violence are present in each. Further, the gallery statement mentions that the “Greek statues serve as a background and a reminder of the fantasy worlds produced in Japanese arcade games, which often picture rural Europe.” While exhibited, the collages are joined by the raucous soundtrack of the noises of a traditional arcade flowing through the gallery.
A Hotel And Art Gallery Built Entirely Of Snow And Ice
Every winter about 125 miles North of the Arctic Circle a hotel is built entirely out of snow and ice. While definitely a unique hotel, ICEHOTEL, as it’s called, is just as much an art project in its own right. In a way the structure is contemporary interpretation of traditional homes built of the same material. However, each year brings an entirely new design to the hotel. In addition to being filled with guest rooms and a bar, the art and design group at ICEHOTEL also work from a handpicked group of artists. The hotel becomes a temporary home to art and people, to be destroyed and rebuilt next year. [via]
