Art

She's Out of This World

in ,
She’s Out of This World. Tokyo, Japan. January 2019.

She’s Out of This World. Tokyo, Japan. January 2019.

teamLab Planets immersive digital art museum. Odaiba, Tokyo, Japan. January 2019.

When I first heard of teamLab’s digital art museum, I was skeptical. I’ve seen a lot of these “museums” pop up (ehem Museum of Ice Cream) that are created just for that “Instagram moment” and completely without any artistic meaning or value. I’m happy to report back, I was proven wrong with this museum.

teamLab Planets is a beautiful experience. There are five vignettes (some are better than others), however overall it is a very immersive and impressive experience. This was my favorite room, aptly named “The Infinite Crystal Universe”. The lights and music were so well coordinated and there was not an angle or reflection that did not look other worldly.

Here is my friend Hiroko walking through one of the corridors of the exhibit. To me, she looks like she’s amongst the stars and in a galaxy far far away.

If you find yourself in Tokyo, I highly recommend stopping by teamLab Planets and their other museum teamLab Borderless. You’ll get more than just an Instagram.

Let Her Glow

in , ,
Let Her Glow. Beacon, New York. November 2017.

Let Her Glow. Beacon, New York. November 2017.

Girl meets Flavin. Girl is entranced. Dia:Beacon is the place to go to be completely immersed in contemporary art. The museum is located outside of NYC, along the Hudson River, in Beacon, New York. 

Dia Art Foundation helped spearhead the movement of converting former warehouses and industrial buildings into museums and art spaces. With the help of some artists and architects, including Robert Irwin, Dia:Beacon was converted from a 31 acre Nabisco company printing plant into the immersive art space it is today. 

This girl was sitting in her stroller until her family pulled up in front of this Flavin. Once up on her legs, she strutted immediately towards the lights. I was lucky to snap this shot right before her grandmother came into the frame to prevent her from touching the installation. I get it girl, I want to touch the Flavin too. 

 

Valuable Time With You

in , , ,
Valuable Time With You. Venice, Italy. October 2017.

Valuable Time With You. Venice, Italy. October 2017.

Venice, Italy. September 2017.

This is Domenico, one of my dearest friends. We traveled to Art Biennale in Venice together two years ago and returned again this year to see Vive Arte Vive! As a seasoned attendee of both the art and architecture Biennale, Domenico navigates the Giardini by heart and has an eye for detail that I can only hope to emulate. 

Here we are inside an installation in the Korean Pavilion designed by Lee Wan. Lee's work entitled "Proper Time: Though the Dreams Revolve with the Moon" is an installation of 668 clocks that cover the walls of this room from floor to ceiling. Each face has the name, birthdate, and nationality of various individuals Lee met while researching economic circumstances around the world. Despite its uniformity, the clocks do not move in unison. The hands move at a speed that is determined by the amount of time the subject has to work in order to afford a full meal. 

But, back to Domenico. He is my better half in all ways: sophisticated, articulate, and wise beyond his years. The time I spend with Domenico is precious and so when I took this photo, I thought it was, for lack of a better word, timely. I can only hope our Biennale trips together continue on as a tradition because every trip with Domenico is an education I cannot get anywhere else.

L.O.V.E.

in ,
L.O.V.E. Milan, Italy. May 2015.

L.O.V.E. Milan, Italy. May 2015.

Milan has a sense of humor. This is one of the more fascinating sculptures in the city that one should not miss. Located in the middle of Piazza Affari, it is hidden in the business district of the city. The sculpture was created in 2010 by Maurizio Cattelan, placed in the piazza, and was only supposed to stay in the square for a couple of weeks, yet here it stands seven years later. The Milanese government decided to keep it up indefinitely. So what is Cattelan's sculpture flipping off? Well, that's the best part; the hand is placed right in front of the "Borsa" a.k.a. Italian stock exchange. While Cattelan has never explicitly said what the message of his work is, it is safe to assume that it is a big "f*ck you" bankers. It is widely accepted to be a harsh commentary on the European economic crisis that plagued Europe in 2008 and hit Italy especially hard. If the gesture itself and the placement are not explicit enough, Cattelan titled his piece L.O.V.E., an acronym for Libertà, Odio, Vendetta, Eternità (Freedom, Hate, Vengeance, Eternity). Irony at its best.

Mesmerizing Patterns of Marrakech

in , ,
 

Geometric patterns + colorful tiles + intricate carvings = absolute inspiration. It is impossible to leave Marrakech and not be enamoured with the patterns that weave through the city. In Marrakech, the details take center stage. 

Find the patterns pictured above at:

You can also find these places listed on my map of Marrakech here.