Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Sandra Birke: " In Dog We Trust "

No one loves us as unconditionally as a dog. Man's best friend, the dog has now become a fully accepted member of society, and for many of us, a substitute for child or partner, a beloved companion.

Inspired by the devotional imagery of the Orthodox Church, Sandra Birke created her own set of icons. These icons form a series of twelve photographs entitled In Dog We Trust. Mounted on wood, each image consists of a canine portrait surrounded by items, such as rubber bones, dog waste bag dispensers, and feeding bowls, achieving a very natural and authentic feel.

Sandra Birke lives and works in Dusseldorf, Germany.

"In Dog We Trust" is a tribute to our favorite domesticated animal.


Ben © Sandra Birke
Cassandra © Sandra Birke
Emma © Sandra Birke
Finn © Sandra Birke
Guckstdu © Sandra Birke
Helena © Sandra Birke
Idefix © Sandra Birke
Irma © Sandra Birke
Jessi © Sandra Birke
Louis © Sandra Birke
Mattes © Sandra Birke
Pelle © Sandra Birke

Courtesy Sandra Birke
In God We Trust, on exhibit at Gallery Cote Seine & Trianon, Paris
February 25 - March 1, 2012



Thursday, January 26, 2012

California Dreaming....

 The exhibition Backyard Oasis: The Swimming Pool in Southern California Photography, 1945-1982, examines swimming pools in photographs from 1945 to 1982 as representations of the ideals and expectations associated with Southern California.

These images of individual water-based environs in the arid landscape are an integral part of Southern California's identity, a microcosm of the hopes and disillusions of the country's post-World War II ethos. As a private setting, the backyard pool became a stage for everything from sub-culture rituals to clandestine desires. As a medium, photography became the primary vehicle for embodying the polar emotions of consumer optimism and Cold War fears.

For the first time, this exhibition, its catalogue, and accompanying programs trace the integrated histories of photography and the iconography of the swimming pool, bringing new light to aspects of this complex interaction.

"Probably the most exciting thing about the exhibition is the range and caliber of the photographers that were included. The exhibition features works by Slim Aarons, Herb Ritts, Ed Ruscha, Diane Arbus, David Hockney, Julius Shulman, John Baldessari, Bill Owens, Maynard Parker and Rondal Partidge, and references a unique blend of photography styles in post-war America."
~~ Bob Bogard, Director of Marketing Communications, Palm Springs Art Museum

Backyard Oasis is currently on view at Palm Springs Art Museum.

Backyard Oasis: The Swimming Pool in Southern California Photography, 1945-1982
Bill Owens, Hockney Painted This Pool, 1980, Los Angeles County Museum of Art
© Bill Owens

Michael Childers, The Hockney Swimmer, 1978
Courtesy of Michael Childers © Michael Childers

Bill Anderson, Edris House, ca. 1954
Collection Palm Springs Art Museum © Palm Springs Art Museum

Anthony Friedkin, Woman by the Pool, Beverly Hills Hotel, CA, 1975
Courtesy of the artist and Gallery Luisotti © Anthony Friedkin

David Hockney, John St. Clair Swimming (from Twenty Photographic Pictures), 1972
Sonnabend Collection, New York © David Hockney; photo credit Richard Schmidt

Leland Y. Lee, Silvertop - Hollywood Dawn, 1972
Courtesy of the artist and Michael H. Lord Gallery © Leland Y. Lee

Herb Ritts, Richard Gere - Poolside, 1982
Courtesy of the Herb Ritts Foundation, Los Angeles © Herb Ritts Foundation

Edward Ruscha, Nine Swimming Pools, 1968, one of nine c-type prints
Courtesy of Ed Ruscha © Ed Ruscha

Lawrence Schiller, Marilyn Monroe, 1962/printed 2011
Courtesy of Judith and Lawrence Schiller; Lawrence Schiller © Polaris Communications, Inc


Mel Roberts, Rich Thompson, Indio, 1963
Estate of Mel Roberts © Michael H. Epstein & Scott E. Schwimer


Mel Roberts, Robert and Cliff, Sherman Oaks, 1980
Estate of Mel Roberts © Michael H. Epstein & Scott E. Schwimer


Lawrence Schiller, Palm Springs Fashion, No. 8, 1964/printed 2011
Courtesy of Judith and Lawrence Schiller, Lawrence Schiller © Polaris Communications, Inc.


Backyard Oasis: The Swimming Pool in Southern California Photography, 1945-1982
January 21 - May 27, 2012
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Alexis Mabille: Haute Couture Summer/Spring 2012

Paris was blooming with Alexis Mabille's stunning creations and most striking were the gorgeous flower headpieces made to match the color of the clothes. No nose rings for his models, but instead painted faces to match the enormous paper petals.

The catwalk show took place at the lovely Shangri-La hotel, an ideal setting for Mabille's extravagant collection.

Here are some of my favorite pieces.

Alexis Mabille, Haute Couture S/S 2012















Images, courtesy GoRunway

Monday, January 23, 2012

Seb Janiak; A Visionary Artist

Graphic designer, photographer, producer, video director, author-script writer, Seb Janiak is a worldwide recognized artist. Noticed for his free and creative approach, far away from the motionless imagery of the 80s, Seb Janiak always kept his integrity and sincerity, without any concession.

Regarded as one of the pioneer of numeric photography, which he explores the possibilities since 1986, with the revolutionary "Paint Box", imported from Japan, Seb Janiak contributes to a new dimension, and proposes a visionary art. Creator of "Digital matt painting", this hyperrealist can inlay several photographs in one to obtain homogeneous images, striking of realism.

Several new photographic pieces are featured in Janiak's first Art book, released in October 2011 and published by Zauberkind Edition. From Soon International to Daft Punk, Berlin to Miami Beach, Seb Janiak brings a new dimension to his work.

Foreword by Philippe Starck
" Seb has shown that the impossible can be achieved, he was the first, I believe, to create places, atmospheres and creatures from nothing. As a pioneer, he has laid the foundations of an art often since imitated but this always in poor taste - sinking into futility, or even vanity. Without his soul, such copies can only be sterile"......

Seb Janiak lives in Paris and his work is often exposed in the biggest International Photography Art Fairs.


Seb Janiak
Naomi Campbell, Soon International Magazine, 2011
© Seb Janiak

Naomi Campbell, Lighted Darkness, 2011
© Seb Janiak


 "Laser" Soon International Magazine, 2011
© Seb Janiak

 Laetitia Casta, 1998
© Seb Janiak


Nadja Auermann, 1997
© Seb Janiak

Uchrony, parking Notre Dame, 1989
© Seb Janiak

Uchrony, Place Vendome, 1994
© Seb Janiak

Uchrony, Grand Palais, 1996
© Seb Janiak

The Kingdom, Moon above Clouds, 2008
© Seb Janiak

The Kingdom, Sun above Clouds, 2008
© Seb Janiak

The Kingdom, Bardo Thodol, 2010
© Seb Janiak

The Kingdom, Moment of Choices, 2010
© Seb Janiak

SEB JANIAK
On exhibit at VISIONAIRS GALLERY, Paris
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Tuesday, January 17, 2012

After Hats comes Staging Fashion at the Bard Graduate Center

Beginning in the late nineteenth century, actresses became key figures in the international cult of celebrity that flourished in the context of a nascent mass media and mass consumerism. Formerly ostracized as women of dubious morals, actresses were presented - and presented themselves - as role models for women across the social spectrum.

Through printed ephemera, exquisite dresses, and accessories, the exhibition Staging Fashion, 1880-1920: Jane Hading, Lily Elsie, Billie Burke explores the roles played by actresses as internationally known and influential fashion leaders at the turn of the twentieth century. This exhibition focuses on Jane Hading (1859-1941), Lily Elsie (1886-1962), and Billie Burke (1884-1970) as case studies through which one may investigate the actress as trendsetter and examine the objects that were instrumental in the creation of her public image and persona.

From January 18 to April 8, 2012, the Bard Graduate Center (BGC) presents Staging Fashion, 1880-1920: Jane Hading, Lily Elsie, Billie Burke. The exhibit is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue edited by the curator Michele Majer, with contributions from Lenard Berlanstein, Sheila Stowell, Marlis Schweitzer, and BGC students.

"Although many people might not be aware of it, our present-day obsession with celebrity actresses goes back to the turn-of-the-twentieth century with the rise of mass media. Glamorous stage performers like Jane Hading, Lily Elsie and Billie Burke were adulated by male and female fans who bought millions of postcards with their images, read thousands of magazines that featured their 'private' lives, and, in the case of women especially, closely followed and often copied their every fashion move."
~~ Michele Majer


Catalogue Cover: Foulsham & Banfield (English, 1906-1920)
Postcard of Lily Elsie as "Angele Didier" in The Count of Luxembourg, ca. 1911. 

Postcard of Billie Burke, ca. 1907, published by Dover Street Studio
Private collection. Photographed by Bruce White
Billie Burke. Cover of The Theatre (Oct. 1908). Private collection
Photographed by Bruce White
Reutlinger Studio (French, 1850-1937). Postcard of Jane Hading in La Pompadour, ca. 1901
Private collection. Photographed by Bruce White
Paul Boyer. Jane Hading in Plus que Reine. Cover of Le Theatre (May 1899)
Private collection. Photographed by Bruce White
Reutlinger Studio (French, 1850-1937). Postcard of Jane Hading in La Pompadour, ca. 1901
Private collection. Photographed by Bruce White
Charles Poynter (English, 1853-1929) for the House of Redfern (English, 1881-1929)
Evening gown, ca. 1904. Museum of the City of New York
Photographed by Bruce White
Foulsham & Banfield (English, 1906-1920). Postcard of Lily Elsie in The Merry Widow, ca. 1907
Private collection. Photographed by Bruce White
Foulsham & Banfield (English, 1906-1920). Postcard of Lily Elsie in the Merry Widow, ca. 1907
Private collection. Photographed by Bruce White
Foulsham & Banfield (English, 1906-1920). Postcard of Lily Elsie in The Merry Widow, ca. 1907
Private collection. Photographed by Bruce White
Joseph G. Darlington and Co., Philadelphia (American, active early 20th century).
Woman's hat, ca. 1908-10. Philadelphia Museum of Art


Staging Fashion, 1880-1920: Jane Hading, Lily Elsie, Billie Burke
January 18 - April 8, 2012
Click here to see the exhibit on Hats at the BGC.
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