Don't mind me, just passing through.

I was walking somewhere and came across this place. I don't know how or what the hell is going on here, but it's so weird and I like it. I can't choose what I like most...the pez collection, the tiger painting, the light bulbs on the table or the reflection on the window from the street. How about all of it? A brief magical moment in time. It makes me think of what a storefront in Crazy Town might look like.

Thank God for Art

It's interesting to me how I am drawn to certain art, colors and people, all depending on where I am at inside. Here's what I loved at the SF MOMA recently and considering my current heart space, these pieces make perfect sense.

Mission Market

This mural is new and it's on the backdoor entrance of Mission Market on Bartlett. I love it.

A Mouthful of Marilyn Minter

 

 http://www.greenpinkcaviar.com/

I Hella Heart Hella Jongerius

First of all, I love her name.
Secondly, I love her style.

She is an inspiration.

I stumbled upon Hella Jongerius a few years ago when I was working for an interior design company, flipping through a magazine and saw this couch. I loved it. Later the same couch was on display at a Vitra project I attended held at Limn. It looks and feels even better in person. It's still my dream couch. I love that it's not symmetrical and that it seems "imperfect". I'm big on embracing imperfections.

 

Hella is in this month's issue of Dwell, in which she says "Perfection is macho. And boring. I like to see the hand of the maker." I couldn't have said it better.

Rebecca Martinez

Last night I attended Reborning for the second time and they had a Q&A afterwards with the Reborners (the artists that make the dolls). I got another peek into another world. These women are dedicated, passionate and talented. As strange and disturbing their work may seem on the group level, I am moved and have mad respect for what they do.

Rebecca Martinez is talented photographer who works with these women and their dolls. She also photographs mannequins "after they have become individuals. As they become 'flawed' and reflect their experiences, they more truly represent us". I rather enjoyed her artist statement and especially the photographs. It seems fitting for where I'm at these days....unraveled. Naked. The packaging coming undone. The tricky part is learning to love myself for where I'm at, flawed and all.

You're a doll

Last night I attended the world premier of Reborning, a play by Zayd Dohrn. This dark comedy takes an unsettling look at work, latex, and the power of creation. A young artist who crafts custom made dolls begins to suspect that a demanding client may be the mother who abandoned her at birth. As she tries to unravel the mystery, she discovers the path to her own "Reborning".  SF Playhouse

What is a reborn doll you ask? A reborn doll is a manufactured vinyl play doll that has been transformed to resemble a human baby with as much realism as possible. The process of creating a reborn doll is referred to as reborning and the doll artists are referred to as reborners. Reborn dolls are also known as living dolls or unliving dolls.  Wikipedia

So, the play was amazing. It made me laugh, it made me cry and it introduced me to another world I didn't even know existed.

A few of the words I heard in the reviews from the audience was "creepy, weird, disturbing" but I don't think those are bad reviews. I like weird and disturbing. On the flip side, I could also say it was brave, original and moving. I think if it shakes something up in people, no matter in a negative or positive way, well then everyone from the doll makers to the artists and everyone in between are doing their job.

Showing at the SF Playhouse until June 11th. I hope you see it.

An Ode to Vivian Maier

Vivian Maier was a nanny who lived in Chicago for most of her life and passed away in 2009 at the age of 83. Little more is known about her, except that she was an avid street photographer. Her work was discovered at an auction in 2007, more than 100,000 negatives and undeveloped rolls of film, sold by a storage facility who were cleaning out her locker for delinquent rent. Here is a small sampling of Vivian Maier's stunning work from the Maloof Collection, spanning from the 1950s to the 1970s. Many of the photos, if they had any information at all, only provided a year and/or city. Buzz Feed

An interesting life. Amazing photographs. I can't get enough.
Go here for more http://www.vivianmaier.com/

My soul's downloading period

I am stuck. The end of the semester is near. I am buried in deadlines and schoolwork. Four more weeks!! For my Design 101 class, I need to create a gestural model to represent : Urban Development (huh?!?*%#$) My first idea flopped. All my other ideas have been crap. While I live under the idea that we are always exactly where we are suppose to be and everything happens for a reason, things aren't coming together fast enough...and when I say fast enough I mean, by my princess banana standards.

Erykah Badu, (who I super duper heart), once said in an interview that she didn't believe in writer's block, that the time when we feel stuck or like we're not creating, is just our soul's downloading period. I love that. Sometimes when I feel like I'm not making any progress, I try to remember my insides are working and when it's time, it'll come out. I just need to trust the process.

In the meantime, I am looking for some inspiration. Recommended by my teacher, I am moved by some really amazing pieces by Tara Donovan.

Materials : Paper Plates

Materials : Styrafoam Cups

 Materials : Buttons and Glue

Materials : Scotch Tape

Materials : Ripped and Stacked Tar paper

Jeff Koons : Cat and Poodle

Cat, marble 18 x 14 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches, 45.7 x 36.8 x 21 cm Edition of 3 plus AP 1991

 

Poodle, polychromed wood 23 x 39 1/2 x 20 1/2 inches 58.4 x 100.3 x 52.1 cm Edition of 3 plus AP 1991

I'm a little embarrassed that I am just now discovering Jeff Koons. Although, that is part of the reason why I am in school...to be introduced to new things and learn about them. He has a lifetime of work. While I don't love everything, I do appreciate his balls to try new things and ability to think outside of the box.

http://www.jeffkoons.com/

Fur Traders Descending the Missouri 1845 by George Caleb Bingham

 

"One of Bingham's most famous paintings, this work is owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Painted around 1845 in the style called luminism by some historians of American art, it was originally entitled, French-Trader, Half-breed Son. The American Art Union thought the title potentially controversial and renamed it when it was first exhibited. It reflected the reality of fur traders' common marriages with Native American women; in Canada the Métis ethnic group formed as a result. The painting is haunting for its evocation of an era in American history—note, in particular, the liberty cap worn by the older man. The animal in the boat is widely accepted as a bear cub and not a cat."

Wangechi Mutu

I love her work. To me, it is perfect.

The world she creates is the one I secretly live in.

http://www.wangechimutu.com/