If It's Hip, It's Here (Archives): art basel

Showing posts with label art basel. Show all posts

Here's How The VW Beetlesphere by Ichwan Noor Was Actually Created.

Out of respect for the artist, who removed this information from his own website and asked that I do the same, this post has been deleted so as to let the process of Ichwan Noor's artwork remain a mystery. --editor

Artist Boyarde Messenger Hand Paints Charlotte Olympia's Dolly Pumps As Famous Paintings For Neiman Marcus.

Designer Charlotte Olympia re-interprets her Dolly shoe by taking inspiration from the great painters of the Twentieth century for Neiman Marcus and Art Basel Miami. Charlotte Olympia hired British artist, photography and body art painter Boyarde Messenger to reinterpret the works of Pablo Picasso, Howard Hodgkin, Vincent Van Gogh, Jackson Pollock, Roy Lichtenstein and Piet Mondrian on her signature Dolly Pumps. Boyarde hand-painted 100 pairs for the Neiman Marcus Charlotte Olympia project.

above: Boyarde Messenger painting the Van Gogh shoes for Charlotte Olympia (photo courtesy of http://boyardelovesart.wordpress.com)

With each pair painstakingly hand-painted by Boyarde (you can see her entire process here), the results are high-heeled works of art.

Composited shoe and art images shown above by If It's Hip, It's Here.

The shoes were created for the Neiman Marcus Charlotte Olympia project and debuted at Art Basel.

Boyarde Messenger
Charlotte Olympia

The Calligraffiti Unruly Shoe. A Collaboration Between Graffiti Artist Niels SHOE Meulman and United Nude.

United Nude and Dutch graffiti artist Niels “SHOE” Meulman, known for his Calligraffiti style where he combines the art of calligraphy and graffiti, have collaborated on this new, sexy and fun shoe.

In this new collaboration with United Nude a shoe was created in which the upper, made of laser cut leather, spells out the words “Unruly Shoe”.

With a zipper in the back, an elegant floating stiletto heel and a floating platform, this select shoe stands 13 cm (5 inches) tall and is available in black, off white and neon green.

The shoes come in sizes 35 to 41 and are available at some of the most exclusive retailers worldwide. Also available for pre-order at here for $695. USD a pair.

The United Nude x SHOE collaboration shoe launched on December 6th during Art Basel Miami, at the prestigious Wynwood Walls - the Mecca of street art. For the event, SHOE hand painted a 1984 Cadillac stretch limousine that remained parked at the heart of Wynwood during the shoe launch and cruised down the streets of Miami at night.

On the sides of the car SHOE painted his “UNUNUNUNUNUN” pattern, standing for “UNRULY”, SHOE’s Amsterdam based gallery, for SHOE’s obsession with UN-words and for “UNITED NUDE”:

On the front, back and rooftop quotes were painted from the movie Scarface, that also took place in Miami:

all images courtesy of United Nude

Artist Richard Prince Designs Cans for AriZona's Lemon Fizz Beverage.

the press release:
AriZona Partners With Renowned Artist Richard Prince To Create 'Lemon Fizz' Beverage, Debuting At Art Basel Miami Beach

"As huge fans of Richard Prince and his work, it was important for AriZona to create a beverage that embodied the mystery and intensity of Richard's art, and Lemon Fizz acts as the perfect beverage to symbolize those feelings. The package design celebrates Richard's creativity and history within the art world, with secret elements for consumers to discover that signify the union of our creative forces," says Jackie Harrigan, Global Communications Director.

Prince, a controversial artist, famous for his use of appropriation art and his Jokes series, which alluded to the sexual fantasies and frustrations of middle-class America, joined forces with AriZona beverages on the project. "My latest work has embodied the use of tangible items, such as cans, to create installations," Prince says. "As a fan of AriZona's Arnold Palmer line, it felt natural to collaborate and the partnership evolved from there. The outcome is Lemon Fizz, which is a fantastic beverage and one that I can employ in my own craft."

The beverage will be packaged in a Pop Art-inspired, 23-oz. can, featuring representations of his Cowboys, Nurse and Jokes paintings:

Old black-and-white shots of Prince, photographed by Sebastian Piras and Sante D'Orazio in TriBeCa back in 1992 are featured on the can:

The beverage, to be launched nationally following the Art Basel Miami Beach show, will retail from $0.99 to $1.25, in line with other AriZona products.

About AriZona:

Founded in Brooklyn, NY in 1992, Arizona's mission is to offer top quality beverages in uniquely packaged designs that are accessible and affordable. AriZona Beverages — makers of the number one Iced Tea in America, holds a unique position in the global beverage industry with its iconic $0.99 big can and "keeping it real" no frills approach to the consumer market. AriZona never pays for glitzy advertising campaigns to gain consumer loyalty and is constantly ahead of the curve, carving out trends without the use of focus groups and market research. With a loyal following across various demographics, AriZona pulls its own inspiration from its fierce social media following and devoted fan base. To learn more about the AriZona lifestyle, please visit drinkarizona.com; Facebook: AriZonaIcedTea; Twitter: @DrinkAriZona

About Richard Prince:

above image: Mr. Prince. (Courtesy Patrick McMullan Company)

Richard Prince, born in 1949, is an American painter and photographer. Mining images from mass media, advertising and entertainment since the late seventies, Prince has redefined the concepts of authorship, ownership, and aura. Applying his understanding of the complex transactions of representation to the making of art, he evolved a unique signature filled with echoes of other signatures yet that is unquestionably his own. An avid collector and perceptive chronicler of American subcultures and vernaculars and their role in the construction of American identity, he has probed the depths of racism, sexism and psychosis in mainstream humor; the mythical status of cowboys, bikers, customized cars, and celebrities; and most recently, the push-pull allure of pulp fiction and soft porn, producing such unlikely icons as the highly coveted Nurse paintings.

Richard Prince's Website

Source: PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1tgpV)

Most Overhyped Art Project - Simple Things by Pharell Williams, Murakami and Jacob & Co.

Above: 'Simple Things' as displayed at Art Basel

I'd never have blogged about this collaborative 'art' project shown at this year's Art Basel except that it's receiving lots of blogger and news buzz.

While I'm a fan of much of the work of Pharell Williams, Takashi Murakami and Jacob & Co. (often referred to as Jacob the Jeweler and who was arrested last year for money laundering, found guilty and sentenced to 2.5 years in a federal prison), their combined project shown via the Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin at Art Basel titled "Simple Things" is not new or innovative.

We have seen many an artist glorify 'everyday items'. Both Tobais Wong and Big Game made a statement on commercialism with their gold editions of mundane items. Damien Hirsts' diamond encrusted skull and Koons' balloon dogs are also taking the simple and turning them into the magnificent. Even Jemal Wright's crystal encrusted toilet seats, albeit not with real diamonds, are more interesting.

This series of typical every day items (hence the name 'Simple Things'); a Pepsi can, a condom wrapper, a Heinz ketchup bottle, a bag of Doritos, a bottle of lotion, an athletic shoe and cupcake... all encrusted with diamonds and placed in a giant fiberglass, steel and acrylic psychedelic version of Murakami's Mr. DOB's head, is one of the most ridiculously overrated art projects I've ever seen.

The sculpture is based on Murakami’s signature “DOB” character and features an onyx fiberglass husk with a pearlescent glow to compliment the vibrant rainbow colors which Murakami is known for. In the mouth of sculpture are diamond emblazoned products mentioned earlier and shown in detailed photos further down in this post.

Apparently, this 'masterpiece collaboration' took over 2 years to complete and was subject of a furious bidding war at the preview and fetched a reported $2.8 Million. (there are many more pics of the piece later in this post).

above: music producer, clothing designer and entrepreneur Pharell Williams with a chair he designed

In this interview with Ute Thon (Art Magazin), Pharrell Williams talks about how collaboration with Takashi Murakami came about, the idea behind the sculpture, his interest in art and design, the artists and designers he admires, and his own design works.

With so much amazing art at Art Basel (both in Miami and Switzerland), it blows my mind that this is what many of the respected trend and art bloggers have opted to feature.

Now, of course you are thinking to yourself... "So, why feature it on your blog?"

Well, as the title of my blog suggests, I try to bring you what's 'hip' at the moment and not necessarily things that are always to my own liking. That said, take a look at the images and you can decide for yourself whether or not you feel it's an impressive art project.

Admittedly, I like the Murakami head much better than the objects within it. If you are a fan of Murakami's work, there will be an upcoming exhibit of his work from 12/09/2009 - Octobre 2009 at Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, 76 rue de Turenne 75003 Paris.