I’ve been spending a lot of time on Posts lately, a social app that still feels like a cute little community of creative folks. I’ve been able to find some interesting folks to follow, such as designer and illustrator Hannah Lee. She recently announced her upcoming 2024 calendar (it’s available for pre-order) which features a super clean design paired with her very charming illustrations. I love how they come as loose sheets so that you can hang up as she has photographed, it looks so wonderful.
There is such a calm and tranquil feeling in the work of Korean illustrator Han Yoomi. I happened upon their work on Twitter, and I was instantly struck by their use of negative space and color. Like the first piece below, which captures an idyllic farm scene, a woman feeding a rooster with vegetation framing them, creating an intense intimacy. I’m also so impressed with their range, as far as illustrative styles go. The second piece below is ethereal and dreamy, a young girls vivid imagination brought to life, while the third piece is rather realistic, like a portrait done with pastels in nature. Really beautiful work here, so glad I came across their work.
I think we all love an eye-catching magazine cover. And usually, illustrator Chris Ware is one of those artists who does bring a unique angle, tapping into something that’s happening in the world that really resonates in a touching way. The New Yorker tapped Ware for their Thanksgiving cover this week, and unfortunately they’ve decided to play into a tired trope.
We’ve already seen this concept with Ware’s iconic Halloween cover back in 2009, which at the time, felt like a sign of things to come. It was the rise of smartphones, of mobile devices starting to be more ever-present. In 2023 though, everyone has a phone. They’re engrained in our lives, we often use phones to stay connected to those who are distant, who we can’t see everyday, and who want to share our lives with. This cover is giving big boomer energy. Also, can we talk about the arms of the two people in the foreground? What the hell is happening there?!
New Poetry is a recent addition to Rashid Johnson’s ongoing series of steel-grid sculptures, which he began in 2004. This installation, which is located at The Whitney in New York, consists of an illuminated grid structure made of steel bars, spanning both indoor and outdoor spaces of the museum. The grid features live plants nurtured by grow lights and placed in ceramic pots handmade by the artist.
Additionally, the installation incorporates poetry books, carved blocks of shea butter, and TV monitors displaying Johnson’s 2010 silent short film titled Black Yoga. The intention behind this work was to create a brain-like space that combines diverse materials and information, enabling the generation of new connections and modes of thinking. The living elements and exposed location of the installation explore the boundaries of institutional stewardship and engage the empathy and responsibility of viewers.
I love how the piece bisects the space, living both inside and out, transporting your eye through. His work reminds me of a contemporary version of that scene from the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark, with each shelf holding some kind of wonder or curiosity. I’m sure the work is even more impactful now, as New York in winter can be quite cold and snowy, and this exhibit gives you the exact opposite feeling.
We need to talk about André 3000 and his new album, New Blue Sun. Interviews starting ramping up last week about the album, with André saying, “there’s no bars,” that he won’t be rapping on the album. This is paired with the fact that he’s been seen wandering around the literal globe with a massive flute in tow. Clearly this record was going to be something different.
From my perspective, it’s an ambient, new age, world music endeavor. It sounds like echoes of Alice Coltrane and Laraaji, Hiroshi Yoshimura’s Green, like a warm afternoon laying in the sun. To really help me understand this record, it was actually the Pitchfork review that gave me the most insight. I knew he had worked with some of the folks from Leaving Records, who I came across in the last couple months, but it sounds like it was truly a jam record, for lack of a better term. And I think it’s that variety of artits and sounds that really make this record something special.
I stumbled upon an interview with artist and writer Justin Chance, who has a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a BA in Visual & Critical Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His series of quilts are fascinating, combining his love for making with his interest in painting.
These quilts are so ethereal, like stitched together memories, assemblages of random fibers and feelings coming together to tell a new story. I love the colors and textures he’s able to achieve, they’re so stunning. I keep seeing a resurgence of tapestries and knit pieces living on walls as fine art, which I think is great. Pieces like Chance’s are beautiful because of the warp and weft of the material. They’re imprecise and a bit chaotic and it leads to such gorgeous character.
In my household we cook a lot, especially during the week. Keeping things interesting is always a challenge, along with doing our best to cook seasonally. So when I see a new cookbook, I’m always interested. Hato Press has released their third edition of their Studio Cookbook series, inviting collaborators, friends and creators we admire to share a dish they enjoy as part of their working day.
“The featured recipes are influenced by taste, team and resources – think: minimal cooking equipment, make-do utensils and dwindling energy. There are sweet treats, speedy reheats and communal stews cooked over open fires. Dishes made on deadline, for recovery from a long day, or to share with friends, inspiring collaboration. We feature two conceptual cocktails and one mug of boiled water.”
I’m sold. There are 37 recipes in all, organized by Snacks, Mains, Sweets and Drinks. I’m so curious to try “The Pin” (photo below) which appears to be a cocktail with pear and lime and something sparkling, all pulled together with a giant nail.
In 2013, Terranova started out as a production company, but its focus shifted to publishing when photographer Rafa Castells approached Terranova founder Luis Cerveró for assistance in releasing his debut book, Schlecker. Over the course of eight years and the creation of more than forty books, Cerveró made the decision to collaborate with “bouquiniste” Lucía Boned, transforming Terranova into a bookshop and gallery while continuing their publishing endeavors.
Following extensive restoration efforts, Terranova unveiled its new premises in Barcelona’s Sant Antoni neighborhood in the autumn of 2021, situated within a refurbished 19th-century modernist shoe shop. Their main gola is to offer the city a diverse range of books that are often challenging to find elsewhere, including international art publications, vintage rarities, and self-published fanzines. I’m taking a trip to visit on Saturday, I’m so excited. I love books so much (we shipped so many over here with us) and along with cologne, is my other biggest weakness.
Sander Coers is a Rotterdam-based photographer whose photos navigate the delicate intersection between documentary and fiction. Through a discerning lens, Coers offers fresh perspectives on masculinity by capturing, revisiting, and deconstructing memories within evocative and romantically hued realms that possess an undeniable cinematic quality.
Central to his body of work is the recurring theme of coming-of-age, contemplating narratives of love, friendship, and self-acceptance, drawing inspiration from his family, friends, and peers. Coers’ visual vocabulary is heavily influenced by nostalgic recollections of his youth in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, infusing his portraits, still-life compositions, and landscapes with vibrant hues and profound emotional depth, resulting in photos that feel ethereal and introspective.
Combining the forces of acclaimed director Paul Thomas Anderson with musical royalty of The Smile (Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood Radiohead, plus drummer Tom Skinner) and you know you’ll get something great. They collaborated on the video for the song “Wall of Eyes,” the title track to the EP of the same name that’s being released 26 January, 2024.
From my perspective, this feels like a good old fashioned music video, which I love. It’s beautifully shot, a lot of mystery and nuance into the meaning, or maybe it doesn’t mean anything and it’s just lovely to look at? Either way, I enjoyed both the song and the video immensely.
I’ve long admired the clothing of Japanese brand visvim, with their commitment to unique expressions in clothing. In the past, they’ve drawn inspiration from vintage Americana, Japanese Edo period garments, French workwear, Amish patchwork fabric, Native American clothing, the Alaskan outdoors, and Finnish Sami tribe culture.
Last week, they announced the opening of a new shop in Carmel, California, a small town near Monterey. It’s a super charming town that values small businesses over chain stores, so visvim founder Hiroki Nakamura decided to set up shop, saying he was “drawn to the ideology of creating a life of their own and taking pride in the culture and history of the city.”
The shop, previously a grocery store, is beautifully detailed, with a hand- carved countertop for purchasing goods, as well as snagging an espresso. The displays are also made of wood, nicely tying together the elements. I’m a big fan of a river rock floor, it gives such a tactility when you walk around a space, and the seafoam green carpet in the back ties in nicely to the waters of the Pacific Ocean, which lie only half a mile west. I’m also gagged by that hi-fi setup. You know they’re going to throw the best kickbacks there. If you’re in the Bay Area, it might be worth you time to take a day trip out of the city to check this out.
