Must See >> Bruce Weber's "Haiti/Little Haiti"

Bruce Weber, a part-time resident of Miami and full-time fashion photographer, shifts his focus in a new project about his neighbors in Little Haiti for his first museum exhibition, "Haiti/Little Haiti," which opens this month at MOCA Miami. 

 Apparently, the exhibition, which contains photos from 2003-2010, is partly as a reaction to the disproportionately aggressive deportation efforts that have been aimed at Haitian residents of Miami.  I love that Bruce is using his status to bring awareness to such an issue!

Must See >> "Counter Space: Design and the Modern Kitchen" at MoMA

“Counter Space: Design and the Modern Kitchen,” an innovative new exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, is now open and running through March 14.

"Conceived by the museums Department of Architecture and Design, the exhibition explores the ways in which the 20th-century kitchen and its continual redesign reflects social, economic, and political change throughout the world. “Counter Space” features almost 300 works from the MoMA’s collection, including design objects, architectural plans, posters, photographs, archival films, prints, paintings, and media works."

[Interior Design Mag]

East Meets West >> Murakami at Versailles

Takashi Murakami is exhibiting at Versailles!  I caught the Murakami show at the Brooklyn Museum a couple of years ago, but would LOVE to see his work in this setting. 

 Murakami is known for his play on the intersection of high and low, appropriating both Japanese anime and traditional forms of Japanese painting and often producing his work through mass production.  Exploring similar themes as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, etc., such as mass media, pop culture, and consumerism, he is considered one of the most prolific Japanese pop artists (albeit a few decades after the West's pop art movement). 

Here's the artist's statement about the show-- pretty interesting:

For a Japanese like me, the Château de Versailles is one of the greatest symbols of Western history. It is the emblem of an ambition for elegance, sophistication and art that most of us can only dream of.
Of course, we are aware that the spark that set fire to the powder of the Revolution came directly from the centre of the building.

But, in many respects, everything is transmitted to us as a fantastic tale coming from a very distant kingdom. Just as French people can find it hard to recreate in their minds an accurate image of the Samurai period, the history of this palace has become diminished for us in reality.

So it is probable that the Versailles of my imagination corresponds to an exaggeration and a transformation in my mind so that it has become a kind of completely separate and unreal world. That is what I have tried to depict in this exhibition.

I am the Cheshire cat that welcomes Alice in Wonderland with its diabolic smile, and chatters away as she wanders around the Château.

With a broad smile I invite you all to discover the wonderland of Versailles.

Similar to Keith Haring, who sold his own work out of a storefront, Murakami also lends his name and his "Superflat" style to other projects.  One such project was an ongoing collaboration with Marc Jacobs on a limited edition Louis Vuitton bags, which they even sold within the museums where Murakami was exhibiting.

They effectively set up a pop-up Louis Vuitton store within the Brooklyn Museum during his show, selling bags for $5,000 and canvases for $10,000... now if that doesn't blur lines between art and commodity, I don't know what does.
 

Here is Marc Jacobs on working with Murakami:

Apparently Kanye caught the Superflat bug as well and collaborated with Murakami on the "Good Morning" video...

It's All in the Presentation

I love that the Walker Museum chose to hang this exhibit showcasing items from their collection in the Paris salon style.

Sometimes, exhibits that are re-visits to the permanent collection can be seem boring and like the museum just wanted to save money by not bringing in something, but simply their style of installation makes this one much more appealing.


A portrayal of a Paris salon...

by Francois Heim
Charles X Distributing Awards at the Salon of 1824 at Louvre, 1827

via Curated.